Down With the Sickness
by Crash
Summary: Complete. A mad Saiyan lands on Earth. But a mind-altering virus the girl caries makes her experience anything but the typical new-girl-story. Especially once the sickness begins to spread. Primarily featuring Tien, Piccolo and Yamcha.
1. Rainbow in the Dark

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Author's note: I do not own DBZ. If I did, you would be flipping through this tome in a bookstore, rather than browsing through it on your computer. Alas, DBZ, and all associated names and concepts are copyright TOEI Animation. This is a non-profit piece of fanfiction, and is not meant to infringe on any of claims of ownership. This document is rated PG-13 for violence, language, innuendo, and, well look, it's DBZ. As a matter of format, scene changes should be obvious, emphasized words are in italics, and words in bold are used to denote ki attacks.

Artist's note: I'm a bit of a sketcher, and I just couldn't resist illustrating a few key scenes in my story. Those illustrations, 11 in all, are posted on my account over at Side7. The pictures in question have a filename of 'DWT-__', (the first one is titled 'Poster') and appear in chronological order. I should warn, they do contain spoilers. (So if you choose not to look at them now, I'll remind you at the end of the story.)

*sigh* I **would** give you a direct link to my gallery, but ff.net isn't letting me post the actual address. To get there, go to side7.com, (don't ask me why I can post that but not a whole address) then click 'search' on the top toolbar, and search for 'Crash' in the 'alias' box. 

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Composure's note: If you take a look at my stories, you'll notice most of them are slight variations to song titles. It's 'cause songs help set the mood when I write. With that in mind, not only is this whole story named after a song (by Disturbed, of course) but so are all chapter titles. So for an enhanced experience, log onto Napster 2.0 and turn up the speakers! Chapter titles refer to song by, in order, Dio, Queensryche, Powerman 5000, Evanescense, Electrasy, Hoobastank, 12 Stones, Dope, Linkin Park, Rob Zombie, Ramstien, Stabbing Westward, Motorhead, Reveille, and Bon Jovi.

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Rainbow in the Dark

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Deep Space…

"Sir, we're in visual range."

Sitting at his post in the command chair, Captain Shiva stared intently at his console. "Patch it through to my station," he ordered. Abruptly, a picture of a derelict ship in a star field appeared on his screen. Whatever the ship had once been, it didn't look like much now.

The derelict had been spotted some days before by long range scanners on Telemekus. But due to the high levels of electromagnetic interference in the area, accurate readings could not be made. Soon after, a small team of scouts had been sent to board the vessel and to determine what it was, and why it was there. Captain Shiva had been dispatched to retrieve the scouts, and to deal with the ship, in whatever manner was deemed necessary.

"You were right, Captain," said the officer at the helm. "Our scout team has confirmed that the ship was once a Thrax-jin freighter. The Typhonis, if that means anything."

"Unfortunately," muttered Shiva, "it does. The Typhonis was reported missing over 143 cycles ago. It was rumored to have left the Lydia Station carrying some exotic cargo. It never reached its destination. No one ever found out for sure why..."

"A hundred forty cycles," mused the officer. "Isn't that right about the time the wars with Frieza reached this sector? I'll bet the Typhonis was a victim of one of those early raids…"

"I don't think so…" Shiva looked sharply up at a petty officer who was gazing at another display of the ship. The orderly noticed she had attracted the Captain's attention, and immediately shut her mouth.

"Really," the Captain prompted. "Why?" The orderly, who's name Shiva never bothered to learn, looked back at him apprehensibly. "If you have something to say... Say it!"

"Well," the orderly began, nearly stuttering. "If I can speak freely… Those breaches," the orderly pointed to several gaping holes in the ship's hull, "don't look like they were caused by energy blasts. Those dispersion patterns are definitely consistent with those caused by physical impact."

The orderly was cut off by the helm officer. "Frieza could survive hard vacuum. And he was also strong enough to punch a hole through any hull in the quadrant. Especially one of something as light as a freighter."

"But why would Frieza himself bother with a measly freighter anyway?" Asked yet another bridge officer. "Wouldn't he have had more important things to deal with?"

"That's beside the point. Those holes weren't created from the outside!" The orderly froze, as all eyes were suddenly on her. After a moment, she continued in a far meeker voice. "Look at the spread patterns of the wreckage. Those patterns couldn't have been created by an outside attack. They came from the inside... Something _onboard_ the Typhonis punched through that hull…"

A hush fell over the bridge. Captain Shiva closed his eyes in registration. The orderly's deductions only lent credibility to the scenario he feared most.

Once again, the Captain's musings were interrupted by the helm officer. "Sir, we're now close enough to the ship that the EM interference and time lag are minimal. Communications are as good as they're going to get. The scout team is waiting with their report."

Shiva exhaled loudly, dreading what the report might contain. Reluctantly, he raised his head. "Good. Put them on them on the main screen." The helm officer complied, and the front of the bridge lit up with the image of the scout leader. "Well, Lieutenant, what happened there?"

The Lieutenant stared back at the Captain with a shaken look in his eyes. "We found the cause of this wreck, all right. We're in the cargo hold and, well… See for yourself…" The Lieutenant stepped to the side of the image, and the entire bridge gasped in astonishment.

It was a giant ape. Nearly two hundred feet tall, floating horizontally in the center of the bay, and completely encased in ice. The beast had black fur, a whitish vest covering its upper back and torso, and a black mane stretching down its neck and back. Another member of the scouting party was floating near the head of the beast, taking readings. Had the creature been awake, it could have swallowed the scout without even trying.

"My God," uttered the helm officer. "What is that thing?"

"An Oozaru," answered the Captain, in voice too quiet to be heard.

At that point, the Lieutenant stepped back into view. "We've checked the ship's logs. Apparently, somewhere near Lydia, the captain of the Typhonis came across a Black Brand Saiyan locked in stasis. He figured that it would be worth a lot of money to certain collectors. The logs didn't say exactly how, but the captain recorded that he 'secured' the specimen. We're guessing there was a confrontation involved, and that the Saiyan's stasis unit was somehow damaged during the fight. But that's just speculation. All we know for certain is that roughly eight days after the Typhonis left Lydia, the stasis unit failed. The Saiyan got loose, and immediately turned into this." Once again, the Lieutenant gestured to the beast behind him. "You can guess the rest. The creature went berserk, and started destroying the ship from the inside out. All hands were lost."

Shiva glanced at the orderly, but she was too stunned to be proud of her earlier deduction. Turning his attention back to the screen, Shiva addressed the scout. "If the crew died, how did the beast end up like it is now? Don't tell me it did that to itself..."

The Lieutenant shook his head. "No. One of the Typhonis' primary cargos was liquid nitrogen. Vats of it. As best we can figure, while the beast was trashing other parts of the ship, a level headed crew member lucky enough to make his way to a pressure suit in time managed to jury rig the entire cargo hold into one giant stasis unit. The beast eventually wandered back here, and set off the trap. The stasis unit worked, but crewman responsible for it had to have died of exposure soon after."

Shiva was silent for a moment. "You're sure it was a Black Brand Saiyan?"

The Lieutenant nodded. "Positive. We've even found remnants of the original stasis unit it came in."

The Captain remained silent for another moment, inwardly cursing at the situation.

"Sir, it gets worse." Shiva raised his eyes, meeting the Lieutenant's stern gaze. "This hold is only a makeshift stasis unit. Built on the fly as the ship was being torn apart. It wasn't designed to last." The Lieutenant paused, acknowledging the look of horror on the Captain's face. "The cargo hold isn't pressurized. The Nitrogen ice is evaporating into space. The vacuum is sucking it away, molecule by molecule."

"How long?" Demanded Shiva. "How long till it fails?"

"It's already starting to fail. We've been detecting low level brainwaves and life signs ever since we boarded the ship. Within the next cycle, the beast will wake up."

Shiva shook his head in despair.

Obviously nervous, the helm officer spoke up. "But we can fix it, right? Pump more nitrogen in there and refreeze the thing. Then we can patch the hull and entomb the whole ship! Then it'll be safe again."

"No," contradicted the petty officer. "We don't have enough nitrogen on board to make a difference on something that size. Not even if we emptied our engine coolants and used those…"

"Even if we could do that, it wouldn't be safe," the Lieutenant informed them. "We've checked out this entire ship. The hull has been ruptured. Fatally. The ship is falling apart as it is. Anything we do would only increase the risk of shattering what's left of it. In unprotected vacuum, all the nitrogen ice in the world won't keep this beast asleep."

Another silence came over the bridge. This one was broken by the communications offer. A very young officer with almost no practical experience in spacing. "So what if it does wake up? Out here, it's in hard vacuum. No Saiyan can survive without air. Not even that thing."

"It survived vacuum the first time it tore that ship up," interrupted the orderly. "What's to keep it from surviving again?"

The communications officer had a ready response. "There was air around it the first time it woke up. If Saiyans really are as powerful as the legends say, and assuming that thing is a Saiyan power-up, then its ki aura should have held enough air around it to keep it alive. But since there's no air around it now, there's no way for it to survive." The officer paused. "I say we let it wake up, and we let it die!"

Without making eye contact with any of his crew, Shiva spoke. "You seem to know a fair bit about Saiyans, officer. Have you ever heard of a Black Brand Saiyan?"

The communications officer shifted uncomfortably. "Um… No, sir, I can't say I have."

Shiva nodded. "I suspected not. It's a term not much used since the fall of Vegeta-sei. It refers to a Saiyan exposed to Auto Mutation Syndrome."

"Oh my God…" The officer had certainly heard of that.

Scowling, Shiva stood up and faced the rookie officer. "Yes. Auto. Mutation. Syndrome. 'Suicide Syndrome.' The 'Hammer of the Gods….'"

"...Strife's Legacy," solemnly added the helm officer.

Shiva looked sternly at the communications officer. "Do you really want to let that thing die? Do really want to let this sector turn into another Badlands?"

Not meeting the Captain's eyes, the officer shook his head. "No, sir…"

"Good." Shiva looked around to the rest of the crew. "We know what will happen if the Black Brand is let out of stasis. There is no question about that. Without air, it will die, and so will everyone else around. And we'd be the first ones to go. The stasis unit holding the beast must be maintained. The only question we have," Shiva glanced at each of the bridge officers in turn. "Is how to do it?"

Again, silence fell over the bridge.

"Captain, we can't keep it in stasis."

Slowly, Shiva turned to face the scout on the view screen. "Unacceptable, Lieutenant."

"Sir, when I say we can't do it, I mean we can't do it!" Shiva was taken aback by the vehemence of the Lieutenant's reply. "My people have been going over this every second of the three days we've been on this ship! With the resources available on your ship, there just isn't any way to keep the beast safe. Not considering the integrity of the hull, and the electromagnetic emissions in this part of space. And there's no way another ship can get here in time with the supplies we would need. We've checked, double checked, and triple checked these figures. It's just not possible…"

Shiva sighed, and tried to stifle the emotions welling up inside him. "Then what would you suggest we do, Lieutenant?"

Grimly, the Lieutenant replied. "We'll have to ditch it. Send the Saiyan to an unoccupied sector, and let it die there."

Several bridge officer gasped. Shiva let his eyes drop. "Where?"

"The Typhonis's engines are Vector Drives," continued the Lieutenant. "Which means they can only travel along gravity wells. The gravity well that it's been drifting in will eventually take it one jump away from Telemekus. Obviously, that's not an option. There are three branches off that gravity well, all of which lead to other occupied systems."

"Lieutenant…" Shiva growled impatiently.

"One of the branches is Algernon's Run. It _leads _to colonized worlds, but it _passes through_ an uninhabited sector. If we refit the Typhonis's maneuvering thrusters, and set them for a time delayed maximum burn, they'll take her off Algernon's Run and into the dead sector."

Shiva looked up. "Can we actually do that?"

"I wouldn't suggest it if we couldn't," responded the Lieutenant. "I'll need help from your crew to reset the engines, but it can be done. And the Typhonis will hold together for that trip. It's the only way, Captain."

"Algernon's Run?" Asked the helm officer. "King Cold disappeared along there. With his resurrected son, supposedly. The Disturbance happened there, too…"

"Like I said," repeated the Lieutenant, "It's uninhabited."

"No it _isn't_!" The helm officer insisted. "King Cold wouldn't have disappeared into nothing. And there had to be _something_ there to create the disturbance. Or _someone_! "

The Lieutenant's face darkened. "It may have _been_ inhabited, but it's not anymore. Not after that."

"Captain!" Pleaded the helm officer.

"Even if there are still sentients there," argued the Lieutenant, "The sector isn't populous, and the people aren't space-bound. The sector is completely irrelevant to the galactic community! We _don't_ have any other options, Captain."

"Sir," the helm officer grimly began, "we have no proof that area is uninhabited. We could be killing any number of people by sending the creature there."

Shiva sat in his command chair, with his head resting in his hands. "That's right. We have no idea who the Black Brand will kill in that sector. But we know _exactly_ who it will kill if we send it _anyplace_ else! We don't have a choice…"

Grimly, Shiva focused his attention on the main screen. "You have your orders, Lieutenant. Refit the engines, and plot a course through Algernon's Run." Closing his eyes, Shiva got up and began walking off the bridge. "Do whatever it takes…"

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	2. Liquid Sky

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Liquid Sky

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The northern forests of Earth…

Standing on a balcony, Tenshinhan held his hand to his forehead, sheltering his three eyes from the early morning sun. Squinting slightly, he looked down at the town that sprawled around him. It was a modest town, full of people with modest means. Nonetheless, it was a proud town. It's citizens were, after all, the last vestiges of a nearly dead nation. They were the last of the people loyal to Chouzu.

The sight of the town never failed to fill Tien with pride. It was probably the single greatest accomplishment of his life. He had started this town, nearly from scratch. He had even funded much of the early infrastructure with his own money. His winnings from the Twenty Second Tenaichi Bodukai.

Tien had never been comfortable with that win, and had never been comfortable with the money he got from it. To alleviate his conscience, he had decided to use the money to build a residence for his friend, the deposed Emperor Chouzu. After all, Tien had reasoned, not even a deposed emperor deserved to live in a log cabin for the rest of his life…

As far as palaces go, it was a modest residence. No more lavish than a medium sized house in Satan City. Nonetheless, when word got out about the reconstruction of 'Chouzu's Palace' people began migrating to it. Refugees, partisans, everyone who still revered the old Emperor began a pilgrimage to the Palace. And much to Tien's surprise, many of them seemed intent on staying in the Palace's shadow.

Not knowing what else to do, Tien had spent the rest of his prize money making the town a palatable place to live. He diverted a local river to provide a steady supply of water, paved the primary streets, built the court house, the school, the market square…

It was nowhere near the size, sophistication, or glory of Satan City, West City, or even the newly rebuilt Ginger Town, but it was a suitable place to live. And the fact of that he had helped make it that way filled Tien with pride whenever he thought about it. Of course, the fact that Chouzu had officially named the city Tien Town usually tempered that pride. Tenshin had never felt comfortable puffing his own ego.

"But I'll get you back for that, little guy. Maybe a big statue of you in the town square… Fighting Nappa. That'd teach ya…" Chuckling to himself, Tien walked back into the 'Palace' proper.

As he walked through the corridors to Chouzu's room, Tien nodded cordially to the passing servants. As usual, they nodded back, but otherwise did not stray from their tasks. Soon, Tien came to a large pair of ornate doors that marked the entrance to the Emperor's bedchambers.

Lightly, Tien knocked on the doors. "Chouzu? Hey little guy, you awake?" The was no immediate response. Tien turned the handle and eased the door open, wincing slightly as it squeaked. "Chouzu?"

Timidly, Tien slipped his head into the room. All the curtains were drawn, but a few rays of light slipped through then and shown on the bed. As he watched, one of the bed's two inhabitants shifted as the light slipped across her face. "_Hmmmph_…" Mumbled a mass of tangled blue hair. "Go'way, Tien…"

Stifling a chuckle, Tien eased the door shut. "Guess Chouzu had another late night," he quietly joked as the door latched shut.

"Good for him," came a voice from beside Tien. As it spoke, Tien felt the muzzle of a machine gun brush across his chin. Smirking, Tien turned to face the blond haired bearer of the gun. "Now the question is, why didn't _you_ have a late night?"

Tien chuckled nervously. "Uh, because when I got back, you were already asleep."

Wearing a loose smile, and a looser nightgown, Kushami put the gun aside as she drew closer to Tien. "…So?"

"And you were cradling a glock," finished Tien, with a wry grin on his face. "That's just kinda disturbing."

"Wuss." Kushami eased closer to Tien and draped her arm around his shoulder. "But that aside, any chance you might be having a… Late morning?" Kushami licked her lips as she finished the question.

"Tempting," said Tien as he ruffled Kushami's hair. "Very tempting, but you know I can't. I have to train…"

At the mention of training, Kushami tilted her head to the side with a slight pout. "Still? But you're already the strongest human on Earth. Even if you do spend so much time flat on your back." Kushami winked. "Can't you skip just one day?"

Tien sighed. "You know I can't. I may be strong, but I'm not strong enough. I let a good friend die because I couldn't—"

"Tien," cut in Kushami, almost angrily, "stop blaming yourself for that. That was years ago. There was nothing you could have done against Cell. You couldn't have saved Goku."

"Maybe not then," conceded Tien, an all too familiar hint of resignation seeping into his voice. "But I should never have let things get that far. I should have jumped in earlier. I never should have let Piccolo fight alone. I should have gone all out when the androids first appeared… There were so many places I should have stopped it…"

Kushami put her hands on Tien's face and stared intently into his eyes. "Tenshin. The weight of the world is not on your shoulders. Not anymore. There are many fighters to protect Earth. Not all of them need to be perfect. You're doing the best you possibly can. You always have…"

Tien abruptly grinned and wrapped his arms around Kushami's waist. "So you're saying you're willing to settle for a guy who's only second best?"

"Well, when you put it that way…" Kushami closed her eyes and the pair shared a quiet kiss.

As the embrace ended, Kushami looked up at Tien. "So how long will you be gone?"

"I've got two day regime planned," Tien replied, straightening out the red t-shirt he wore. "I'll be back tomorrow night. Leave a candle on for me."

Kushami smirked. "Always... Anything you need me to tell Chouzu?"

"No, he should be--"

Tien was interrupted by a loud boom and a shockwave that shook the entire palace.

"What was _that_?!" With Kushami following him, Tien raced down the hall back to his balcony. Once there, it became obvious what had happened.

"Tien!" Called Kushami, still making her way through their room. "What do you see? What happened?"

"That," he responded. Upon reaching the balcony, Kushami looked to where Tien was pointing. Far off in the distance, a streak of smoke angled across the sky. Where it hit the ground, a new pillar of smoke was starting to rise. "Must have been a meteor of some sort," informed Tien. "But there's something that doesn't seem right about… Kami… There's something alive in there!"

Kushami was knocked against the banister as Tien suddenly, and very violently, powered up. "Tien, what's wrong?!" She yelled, trying to stay upright. "What's over there?"

"I don't know," replied Tien, now hovering above the balcony. "But I intend to find out! Stay here. Wake Chouzu. Make sure the town is on alert. And if I don't come back," for the first time, Tien tore his gaze from the smoke and looked down at Kushami. "…Well, you know what to do then…"

Before Kushami could say anything more, Tien shot towards the impact site, his aura leaving yet another trail across the sky.

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	3. When Worlds Collide

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When Worlds Collide

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Miles north...

"There's definitely a power in that wreckage," Tien mumbled to himself as he sped through the air. "But it seems… Different. Repressed. Like… Like…"

Tien trailed off. As he looked below him, he noticed that all the trees had been blown down by the shockwave. But a quick glance back at the horizon told him he was still over a mile from the impact site. "Whoa," he muttered. "That must have been one big impact…"

Suddenly, Tien stopped dead in the air. The power at the impact site was changing. It fluctuated. It seemed to expand, to search out. Then it grew. Tien stared at the impact site with all three eyes wide open in shock. "It's… Waking up…"

As if to punctuate this realization, a deafening roar filled the air. And then, a dark form rose from the crater. It towered over the forest trees, and even over the rolling hills themselves. The creature reared to its full height, and roared, as if announcing its arrival, and daring any to challenge it.

Without thinking, Tien rushed forward to take that dare.

The beast noticed Tenshin immediately, and ceased its bellowing. Instead, it glared at the oncoming fighter, and growled. Acknowledging this, Tien scowled and powered up as far as he dared. As he drew nearer, Tien gathered his power at his hands, preparing to deliver a debilitating first shot.

Abruptly, however, the creature disappeared. Before Tien could react, a paw thrice his size swatted him from above. Tien hit the ground with enough force that he rebounded back into the air. He was then backhanded into a nearby hill. Half embedded in rock, Tien had only begun to recover when he saw a huge black tail swoop down on him. The tail struck him in the chest, driving him to the center of the hill, which proceeded to collapse on top of him.

With the pile of rubble giving him a moment's respite, Tien finally had a chance to collect his thoughts. "That… That thing was an ape!" He gasped. "With a tail. And… That looked a Saiyan chest plate! I'm dealing with one of those Oozaru things…" With a newfound determination, Tien raised his aura and blasted the rubble away from him.

The Oozaru, which had been roaring triumphantly, abruptly turned to face the disturbance. Upon seeing Tien, it roared in anger. Unfazed, Tien glared back at the beast. "Yeah, right back at you…"

The beast stepped forward and swatted town at Tien. This time, it was Tien's turn to teleport out of the way. He reappeared right above the missed swipe, and launched an energy blast at the beast's chest. The blow staggered the Oozaru, sending it crashing down onto a nearby hill. 

Tien hovered in the air, an arrogant smirk on his face. "Now, we're even."

The Oozaru quickly righted itself, and roared furiously at Tien.

"And now," Tien continued, the smirk fading from his face, "I win."

Still furious, the Oozaru opened its mouth and expelled a huge blast of ki at Tien. Tien easily dodged, teleporting above the beast. Tien blasted the beast's head, just to keep it stunned, then launched a second blast at the base of the creature's tail. The blast struck true, but to Tien's horror, it did little more than scratch the beast.

"Uh, oh..." Tien could say nothing more before the beast reared around and backhanded the warrior across the sky. The beast then reset its footing, thrust its arms out, and sent another blast Tien's way.

In mid air, Tien managed to right himself, and just barely had time to teleport away from the following blast. Winded and surprised, he looked back at his adversary. "Okay, kid gloves are off... Whoever you are, Saiyan, you're going down. _Now_!"

Tien flew towards his target, darting from side to side to avoid more blasts. Upon reaching close range, Tien fired blasts of his own, keeping the beast off balance. At the last instant, Tien sped up and veered around the creature, halting himself just behind the beast's head.

Before the beast could react, Tien pressed his hands together, and aimed them at the beast's tail. Letting his power level peak, Tien drew his palms apart. "**Tri--Beam Cannon**!!"

A concussive blast of energy slammed down on the Oozaru's tail, severing, and crushing it. The Oozaru screamed in pain, but the scream quickly faded away as the beast lost power. Letting his own power level fall, Tien turned and watched the beast collapse, then slowly transform into the unconscious form of a Saiyan warrior.

Hoping to uncover some answers about the Saiyan's arrival, Tien floated to the ground to investigate. Now fully transformed, the Saiyan lay face down in the dirt. It wore a beat up chest plate, with no boots nor gloves, and a torn blue body suit. Its black hair was short, and seemed to sweep forward.

Kneeling down beside the Saiyan, Tien rolled it over to get a glimpse of its face. "It's a girl!" He quickly concluded. Though extremely beat up, the Saiyan's body was obviously feminine. Tien shook his head. "Vegeta's just going to _looooove_ this…"

As if sensing the attention she was receiving, the Saiyan groaned slightly.

A scowl forming on his face, Tien none to gently tapped the side of the girl's head. "Come on, wake up. You've got some questions to answer. Starting with 'who are you' and 'what the _hell_ do you think you're doing here.'" Tien grabbed the Saiyan's shoulder and shook her lightly. "Hey, I don't have all day, here…"

Finally being jostled into consciousness, the Saiyan groaned and sat up. "Ooooh," she muttered clutching her head. "Quis… Iorei to A? Quis…" Slowly, the Saiyan glanced up at Tien, then looked back at her hands. Her gaze suddenly shot back to Tien and she panicked. "Ko… A ronbenkt lu yew… Te kouk azz… Zea hanae… _Zea hanea jay A_!" The Saiyan's aura flashed, and Tien was sent sprawling backwards.

Almost instantly, Tien was back on his feet and in a fighting stance. "That's _it_, girl, I've had enough! Either explain yourself and surrender, or I _will_ put an end to you right _now_!"

The Saiyan wasn't listening. Now on her knees, her aura was cackling out of control, and she was frantically clutching her head. "…Teah u pwah!" She screamed, ignoring everything around her. "…Kras teah u pwwaaaa--_aaaauuuggggggghhhhhhhh_!!!!" Mid-scream, the Saiyan's voice modulated and she underwent the seemingly excruciating transformation into an Oozaru. With its aura still cackling, the Oozaru extended its arms and roared with rage.

Knocked even farther back by the transformation, Tien looked up apprehensibly. "That… Wasn't what was supposed to happen…"

Hearing the voice of its adversary, the Oozaru lowered its head and glared at Tien. Baring its fangs and narrowing its eyes, the beast growled menacingly. Tien could do nothing more than gulp nervously.

Wasting no more time, the beast lunged at Tien. As Tien jumped out of the way, the Oozaru's fists tore through the Earth. Now airborne, Tien launched his own energy blast in retaliation. However, his blast was deflected away, and the Oozaru lunged again.

This time, the beast's fists connected, and Tien skipped across the landscape. The beast growled, and teleported towards its foe. Just as Tien skidded to a stop, the Oozaru appeared right above him, and stomped him into the Earth. The beast raised its foot, opened its mouth, and spat another ki blast directly into Tien, leaving a smoking hole in the hill. As it caught its breath, the Oozaru stared at the blackened crater.

Bruised, battered, beaten, and extremely pissed off, Tien momentarily forgot about strategy. "**Haaaaahhhhh**!!" A searing lance of ki shot up the hole, striking the beast in the throat. As it roared in pain, Tien himself flew up the hole, his aura cackling around him. Before the beast registered his presence, Tien hit it with a hard right hand to its stomach. As the beast doubled over, Tien readjusted himself in midair. He shot upward and hit the beast with a missile kick to the bottom of its massive jaw. Despite the enormous size difference between the two combatants, Tien's blow was enough to take the beast off its feet and send it rolling across the landscape.

As the Oozaru struggled to its feet, Tien hovered where he was. As he regained control of his rage, a rudimentary plan formed in the former assassin's mind. The Oozaru had hurt him, but he could still take it down--again--without weakening himself too much. He just need the beast to cooperate for about three seconds…

Pushing itself back to a standing position, the Oozaru roared, then glared balefully at Tien.

That was all the cooperation he needed. "**Solar Flare**!" 

An intense light filled the sky, blinding the Oozaru. As it flailed about, trying to restore its vision, Tien moved in. Picking up speed, He flew straight at the beast, and struck the back of its head with both his feet. The Oozaru was knocked forward, flat on its face.

Wasting no time, Tien brought his hands together to form a triangle emblem. Making sure his aim was true, he powered up, and blasted the beast in the small of its back. As the base of its tail was crushed, the Oozaru screamed and once again transformed back into a battered Saiyan warrior.

Hurriedly, Tien rushed to the Saiyan's side and turned her over. Just as last time, the transformation had left her unconscious. Heaving and apprehensive sigh, Tien placed his right hand around the girl's throat. "I hate to do this," he muttered to himself, "even to a Saiyan. But I can't risk you waking up again…"

As he slowed his breathing, Tien closed his eyes. After a moment, a red glow formed around his hand. The glow then left his hand, and moved to the neck, head, and chest of the Saiyan girl. The glow remained there for a moment, then dissipated. Exhaling loudly, Tien opened his eyes and withdrew his hand.

He had always hated that technique. Even when he was an assassin. Draining a victim's life force, leaving them a dried up husk, always struck him as an exceptionally dishonorable tactic. Though he had been taught it long ago, he had never before actually used it. Not even in practice. He had never been willing to, and had never seen any real purpose for it.

"Well," he mumbled to himself. "There's a first time for everything. That should at least keep her unconscious for a while." Brushing himself off, Tien stood up to consider the situation.

"Now, that was fun," Tien thought out loud. "Another Saiyan falls from the sky and lands practically in my back yard. She immediately turns into that ape thing, and then attacks me without a second thought. I cut her tail off, wake her up, and she goes ape again. And the whole while, she's creaming incoherently in some language I don't understand..." Absently tugging on what was left of his shirt, Tien sighed loudly. "Whatever's going on here, I hope Vegeta can make sense of it. 'Cause there's no way I will…"

Reluctantly, Tien scooped up Saiyan in his arms, cautiously powered up, and took to the air.

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Linguist's note: You shouldn't need to know this, but you may like to anyway. From Siayan to English...

"Quis… Iorei to A?" -- "What... Where am I?"

"Ko… A ronbenkt lu yew..." -- "No... I shouldn't be out..."

"Zea hanea jay A!" -- "Get away from me!"

"Kras teah u pwah..." -- "Just make it stop..."

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	4. Bring Me to Life

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Bring Me To Life

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The Briefs house, West City…

"Tien!" Hollered Bulma, as she stood in her front porch. Bulma had her hair tied back under a bandanna, and was wearing a grungy set of work clothes. Upon seeing an airborne white streak approach her house, she raised her arms and waved. The streak seemed to pause hesitantly, which prompted Bulma to call out again. "_Tien, I'm down here you idiot!_"

Bulma smirked as the glow began descending, the familiar profile of Tenshinhan quickly becoming visible against the whiteness. After a moment, Tien landed at the far end of the yard and hurriedly began walking toward Bulma. "Bulma, you got my message?" He asked urgently.

Crossing her arms, and not paying much attention to whatever Tien was carrying, Bulma responded. "What's the matter, Tien? Almost forget where I live? Come on, it hasn't been that long since you've been here..." Noticing his stern expression, she quit teasing him. "Yeah, I got a message. Dad said he got a call from Chouzu. He said there was something important you needed to talk to us about."

"That's it?" Said Tien hoarsely. He was obviously in a hurry, and sounded like he had been for some time. "That's all he said?"

Still keeping her arms crossed, Bulma's expression soured slightly. "Well, it was _Dad_ who took the message... You know how he is."

Finally reaching the building's doorstep, Tien stopped walking and glared down at Bulma. "Fine, I don't care... We have a situation here. Just call the others, and get me Vegeta."

"Vegie?" Asked Bulma curiously. "What on Earth would you need him for?"

Scowling, Tien lowed his head, gesturing to the limp Saiyan he held in his arms. "This."

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Inside...

"Erm... Just set her there on the couch, Tien," directed Doctor Briefs. The sudden arrival of a beat-up Saiyan to his house hadn't seemed to phase the old doctor. Almost as if such occurrences were not uncommon, or at least not noteworthy. "I'll go get some sedatives, from the kitchen. They may not work as well on a Saiyan, but they may help..." Without waiting for a response, the Doctor wandered into the other room.

"I don't even want to know why he keeps sedatives in the kitchen..." muttered Tien. Gently, he laid the Saiyan on the couch. She was still unconscious, but Tien didn't want to take any chances.

For a moment, the room was quiet, the only sounds being the Siayan's light breathing and the muted clatter of Bulma trying to get Vegeta's attention from halfway across the compound. Tien sighed, knowing the calm probably wouldn't last long.

Taking advantage of the moment, Tien gazed at the Saiyan he had just fought. Her body was heavily muscled, just like every Saiyan Tien had met. But unlike other Saiyans he'd seen, her skin was gaunt. Her whole body seemed unnaturally tight. In some spots, he could almost see the bones through the skin. Not sure exactly what that could mean, Tien tried to think about something else.

His attention was then drawn to the Saiyan's face. Her hair still swept forward, some of it falling in her face. With a scowl, Tien noted how contorted her expression seemed. Even while unconscious, her expression was a pained grimace. For a moment, Tien was forced to wonder if that was because of his earlier actions, or if something else was to blame.

Abruptly, Tien noticed something else about her face. Moving forward for a closer look, Tien brushed the hair from her face. Just as he had thought, there was a dark band running across her forehead. Looking closer, Tien discovered the band consisted of a lace-like arrangement of black splotches across her skin. Additionally, the band traveled down the side of her head, down her neck, and disappeared under he armor. 

Any further investigation was cut off by the loud arrival of Vegeta and Bulma.

"...Told you, Woman, to take that damn siren out of my gravity room!"

Leading her husband into the room, Bulma replied in a tone that left little room for argument. "First off, Vegeta, it's _my_ gravity room. I designed it, I built it, and I'm the one who rebuilds it every time you break it. You get to use it simply because I let you." Vegeta grumbled something under his breath, which Bulma ignored. "Second, that klaxon is the only way I can get your attention once you're in there. And yes, I know it hurts your ears," Bulma turned to face Vegeta, doing her best impression of his scowl, " but that's just too bad."

Vegeta, dressed in his still sweaty training gear, growled and looked towards Tien. "You. What is so blasted import it couldn't wait until I was done training?"

Tien stood up to his full height, and glared down at the arrogant fighter. "Simply put, Vegeta, you're not the last full-blooded Saiyan on the planet." Tien stepped aside, letting Vegeta see what was on the couch. "Not any more..."

Tien smiled inwardly at the astonished look on Vegeta's face. "What..." Vegeta took a tentative step forward, before regaining his composure and glaring up at Tien. "Who is she? And how--"

"I don't know," cut in Tien. "She crash landed earlier this morning. And she didn't speak any language I understand..." Tien trailed off, as Vegeta did his best to look only mildly interested in the unconscious Saiyan. Bulma, on the other hand, was eager to get her first close look at the girl.

"Something seems... Wrong with her." Bulma looked up at Tien. "And why's she unconscious? Did she attack you or something?"

Tien snorted. "Yeah. There's _something_ wrong with her." Tien leveled his gaze at Vegeta. "She turned into an Oozaru, Vegeta. In broad daylight, without any artificial moon or anything. The moment she wakes up, she'll transform. And it doesn't look like she does it willingly..."

"_Transform_?!" Bulma nearly shrieked. "As soon as she wakes up? Why the hell did you bring her here, then?!"

"Don't worry, Bulma," said Tien, "I've already drained most of her life force. She should be unconscious for a long while. And your father is getting some sedatives just to make sure." Tien turned back toward Vegeta. "Well, 'your highness,' know of anything that would make one of your subjects do that?"

Vegeta looked at Tien with a frank expression on his face. "No... A Saiyan can never go Oozaru without an outside stimulus." Vegeta's voice trailed off. "It's impossible..."

Vegeta seemed slightly unnerved, and that was enough to unnerve Tien. "Yeah, well... I _saw_ it happen. Right in front of me..."

The conversation was once again interrupted by Bulma, who was still looking at the Saiyan. "Hey Tien, what's this thing on the girl's forehead? Some kind of tattoo or something?"

Tien was about to respond, but Vegeta beat him to it. "_Forehead_?!" Glancing at the Saiyan prince, Tien noted that Vegeta's face had suddenly become quite pale. "Woman, what is on it's forehead?"

Bulma looked back at her husband nervously. "Um, it looks like a tattoo..."

Vegeta's voice was ragged. "What _kind_ of tattoo?"

Bulma glanced at Vegeta, wondering why this seemed so important. "Um... It looks like a whole bunch of black dots. Mostly below the hairline, a few along the cheek bones, a little by the nose--"

"_Get away from that thing_!" Bulma and Tien both jumped at Vegeta's panicked outburst. "It's a Black Brand Saiyan!"

"A _what_?"

Bulma's father had the misfortune to walk into the room at that moment. Vegeta instantly grabbed the front of the man's shirt, and lifted him into the air. "Tell me we have a spaceship!"

More than a little phased, Doctor Briefs stuttered. "Yh, yes. Well... Yes I believe we have one in a capsule--"

"_Where is it_?!"

Doctor Brief's eyes rolled up as he tried to think. "Well, I think it's in the garage, on Bulma's workbench. Labeled... NC-104, I believe..."

"Vegeta!" Bulma cried out indignantly. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"

Vegeta, however, had already dropped Bulma's father and had dashed out the door. A crash was heard, and Bulma rushed to the doorway to see what had happened. Looking down the hall, she saw Vegeta rush out of Trunks' room, with the still struggling toddler tucked under his arm. Ignoring his child's protests, Vegeta rushed back down the hall, and grabbed Bulma by the jaw.

"I have to get off this planet," he said, nearly shouting. "I have to get _every_ Saiyan off this planet, else they will be infected. Get that--that--_specimen_ into some sort of quarantine! It is extremely dangerous, and extremely infectious. Freeze it, or put it in some sort of stasis. But don't let it wake up, and whatever you do, _don't let it die_!" With that, Vegeta released his wife and flew down the hall to the garage.

Gasping for air, Bulma clutched her neck and leaned against the door frame. Tien laid a hand on her shoulder and stuck his head out the door. Vegeta was already out of sight. "Uh, Bulma, do have any idea what that was about?"

"No," Bulma gasped out. "I've never seen him like that... So, so... Scared..."

"Well," began Doctor Briefs, once again as calm as ever. "I suppose we'd better get started. I think we still have the cryogenics unit down in the lab. ...Bought it a few years back... Though I think we may have scrapped it for parts... It could take some rebuilding..." With that, Doctor Briefs wandered off to the family laboratory.

Not knowing what else to do, Tien looked down at the still recovering Bulma. "So... Now what?"

"Well," gasped out Bulma. "I guess we put the girl in stasis... And get some others over here. But we really can't do much until Vegeta settles down some and gives us a coherent explanation."

"So you don't have any idea what he was ranting about, either?"

"None," conceded Bulma. "But I'm sure, well, pretty sure that he has _some_ kind of--" Bulma cut off abruptly, hearing something from the hallway. "_Yamcha_?!"

Tien instantly stuck his head out the door. He was greeted with the sight of a scruffy looking Yamcha, with Puar perched on his shoulder, walking down the hall. "Yamcha, what the heck happened to you?"

Yamcha gave his friends a weak grin. "Uh, well, I was kinda in the area when I saw Tien come in. So I came over to see what was up. ...Then I kinda got run over by Vegeta..." Yamcha rubbed his neck uneasily. "Guess I didn't get of the way fast enough..."

"Are you okay?" Asked Bulma, somewhat embarrassed by her husband's actions.

Yamcha laughed it off. "Oh yeah! I've had worse. Nothing to worry abo..." Yamcha abruptly trailed off, as he entered the room and noticed its third occupant. Or more accurately, noticed her tail, which was draped down the side of the couch. "...Uh, who's that?"

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	5. Cosmic Castaway

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Cosmic Castaway

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The basement laboratories of Capsule Corps....

Bulma, Tien, and Piccolo stood grimly in front of a view screen. Piccolo, having sensed Vegeta's sudden power up, and had flown over to see what had caused the disturbance. He had been quickly filled in on the situation, and had elected to stick around in case something went wrong. At the moment, the three of them were receiving a transmission form Vegeta. Or rather, from the ship Vegeta had commandeered.

"Hey, Piccolo!" Greeted an enthusiastic Gohan. "Tien, Bulma, long time, no see!"

Piccolo was the first to respond. "Good to see you too, kid. I assume you're on Vegeta's ship..."

Gohan nodded. "Uh, yeah. He and Trunks showed up at our house maybe a half hour ago. He spent a bit of time yelling at my Mom about how we had to get off the planet and stuff like that. Mom yelled back some, but I think he pretty much ignored her." Gohan cocked his head to the side. "I don't remember what happened after that, so I guess he must have knocked me out or something."

Bulma's expression became more concerned, while Tien and Piccolo openly scowled. "Anyone hurt?" Growled the Namek.

Gohan shook his head. "Nope. Everyone's fine. Goten and Trunks are running around pretending they're blasting Romulans, Vegeta's flying the ship, and, well, I just woke up."

"Where's your mother?" Asked Tien, feeling the need to stick up for his fellow Human. "Don't tell me Vegeta just left her at your house..."

"Oh, of course not," the teenager laughed. "She's still up in the cockpit yelling at Vegeta." Gohan gestured over his shoulder. "Can't you guys hear her?"

Bulma smirked. "We've got noise problems on this end too, Gohan..."

As if to emphasize her point, Yamcha yelled out from across the lab. "Okay, Doc! It's in place. Get that arc welder over here..."

From the spaceship, Gohan looked at the trio curiously. "Was that Yamcha? What's he working--"

"Alright," Yamcha called to no one in particular. "Everyone stay clear... _Fire in the hole_!" The dull roar of an acetylene torch followed this statement.

Tien eyed the spectacle warily. "Bulma, are you sure he knows what he's doing?"

"Oh, don't worry about _him_," Bulma casually commented. "Back when we were dating, that boy spent more time playing with my tools than he did with me." Tien now eyed Bulma warily, while Piccolo just scowled. Ignoring their reactions, Bulma turned her attention back to Gohan. "Yamcha's helping Daddy custom fit a cryogenic chamber to our lab's power supply."

"Oh." Gohan's eyed the ceiling for a moment, piecing together the word parts. "You're trying to freeze someone?" He asked, returning his gaze to the screen. "Why? Does that have something to do with why Vegeta grabbed us all?"

Tien nodded. "Yeah, Gohan, it does. We've got a... Situation down here. Involving a Saiyan. We brought her to Vegeta, and he freaked out. After that..." Tien trailed off with a shrug.

Gohan nodded, taking in what his friend was telling him. "Ah... So you three are probably wanting to talk to Vegeta about now, right?"

"Smart kid." Commented Piccolo. "All that studying is finally paying off."

"Thanks, Mister Piccolo." With that, Gohan turned to leave.

"Oh, but kid..." Gohan turned back around, and saw what passed for a good natured smile on Piccolo's face. "Vegeta knocked you out? I thought I taught you better than that..."

Gohan blushed slightly. "Yeah, well, I was still trying to study..." Turning around quickly, Gohan scampered out of view.

As the trio stared at the empty screen, the clamor in the lab quickly died down. A moment later, Yamcha joined them, wiping some grease from his forehead. "Okay, Bulma, your dad says the chamber is up and running. He's just tweaking a few things. As soon this little conference is done, we can put the Saiyan on ice."

"Thanks, Yamcha," replied Bulma, raising an eyebrow at her ex's appearance.

"We should be done here in moment," supplied Tien. "Gohan's just gone to get Vegeta."

With a smirk, Yamcha took a spot next to Piccolo. "Cool."

Another moment passed, then Vegeta sauntered into view. In the corner of the screen, Chi Chi could be seen following the Saiyan, still giving him a piece of her mind. Gohan, of course, was beside his mother, trying to calm her down. It wasn't working.

"_Woman_!" Yelled Vegeta, taking the situation into his own hands. "Will you please _shut up_?!"

Chi Chi lunged forward, throwing her son off her and grabbing the shoulder of Vegeta's shirt. "_No_! I will not shut up! Not until you tell me why you interrupted my son's studying and dragged all three of us onto this spaceship headed towards Kami knows where--"

"We're in orbit around Earth," interrupted Vegeta, in a slow, angry tone. "Or we will be shortly. And we will remain there until the current crisis is resolved!"

Chi Chi paused, taking a moment to realize that Vegeta had finally given her an actual answer. "What crisis?" The two stared at each other for a moment, before Vegeta looked back at the screen. Chi Chi followed his gaze, and for the first time noticed the quartet watching them. "Uh, what crisis?" She repeated, slightly meeker.

Tien sighed, realizing it would probably be quicker to start from the beginning, again. "Earlier this morning, another Saiyan landed on Earth. Instead of trying to purge the planet like all the others have," Vegeta did not miss the glare aimed his way, "this one simply went mad. And for some reason, as long as she's conscious, she's an Oozaru. I knocked her out, twice, then brought her to Vegeta to see if he could make sense of the situation. He, however--"

"Did what was sensible," growled Vegeta. "Fortunately, so did you. It would seem that once again the mercy of this miserable planet has saved it..."

Yamcha blinked. "Uh, come again?"

Vegeta exhaled, and began explaining. "The 'tattoo' on the Saiyan's forehead marks it as a Black Brand Saiyan. The marks, however, were not put there as any sort of branding. It is a distinctive skin discoloration brought on by a particular disease. Auto Mutation Syndrome. I assume the Namek has heard of it..."

Piccolo shook his head. "No."

"You haven't?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Lucky you. Auto Mutation Syndrome is a viral infection. Incurable. Once it infects a Saiyan, it begins evolving them. The Saiyan is transformed and its power level raised to impossible heights. But at the same time, the Saiyan looses control of its mind. It gives in to its primal urges, goes berserk, and attacks everyone and everything, whether friend or foe..."

"Which would have been me," commented Tien. "Well that actually explains a bit. Like why the girl seemed so terrified..."

Vegeta nodded his head. "Yes, I imagine she was. I doubt the virus' mutations were pleasant ones... Saiyan's are particularly dangerous when exposed to the virus. Out natural aggression, power level, and ability to transform makes us especially susceptible to the virus' mutations. That's why I had to get every person with Saiyan blood off the planet. To eliminate the possibility of one of us becoming infected."

Bulma bit her lip as she looked at her husband. "But Vegeta, what about _non_-Saiyans? Humans. Nameks. Can _we_ get infected too?"

Vegeta lowed his head. "As a child, I was never _told_ of other races being infected by the virus... But as a Saiyan, I would not have cared. I sincerely doubt that the virus could become so widespread by infecting a single species... So, yes... It would be foolish to believe Humans are immune to the virus."

Yamcha gulped, nervously.

"Is there a cure?" Asked Tien, anxiously. "Is there any way to stop it? Or does the Saiyan just keep mutating until it dies?"

"Yes," responded Vegeta. "It does. But when it dies, it does not die alone. When the infected Saiyan dies, all the viruses inside it are released. They spread all across the planet, and even into space, and they kill everything they come into contact with."

Even Gohan gulped at that.

"_That_," Vegeta continued, staring intently at Tien, "is how your mercy saved this planet. Had you killed the girl, instead of bringing her to me, we would all be dead by now."

"Well, that puts _my_ day in perspective..."

"Okay," started Bulma, slowly. "So what do we do with her? We can't keep her frozen forever..."

Vegeta cut in angrily. "Quite the contrary, Woman, we can. And we will. That is the only way to deal with Auto Mutation Syndrome."

Bulma stared at her husband incredulously. "You mean to tell me that we're going to have a frozen Saiyan in our basement for the rest of our lives? Are you nuts?"

"No," corrected Vegeta. "We will keep her there until we can build a mobile stasis unit. Keeping her on the planet is too risky. Especially on _this_ planet. Once a suitable stasis unit is built, we will transfer the Saiyan into that that one, then launch her into space. Deep space."

Yamcha scowled. "Uh, that's risky, too, Vegeta... Trust me on this, when you only deal with half measures, it'll always come back to bite you. Hard. Last time we didn't finish off a threat, he ended up coming back at us with five androids, and one genetically engineered monster... And before that, a cyborg and his father... And then before _that_--"

Piccolo grunted. "Point taken. Why not launch her into the sun? The virus can't do any harm, there."

On the spaceship, Gohan's eyes widened in shock. "Piccolo!"

Vegeta scowled again. "Perhaps I wasn't _clear_ enough for you, Namek. We. Can't. Let. It. Die. At all! The virus _can_ survive the heat of the sun. It can, and will, escape the sun's gravitational pull, and infect the entire star system. And even beyond. If that creature dies anywhere in this sector, we are as good as dead."

Gohan looked at Vegeta, an almost desperate look on his face. "But, Vegeta, we can't do that to her! We just can't! To condemn her to an eternity of being frozen--"

"She's already condemned!" Vegeta barked back. "And she has been from the moment she was infected. Her sentence has already been passed." Vegeta shook his head in resignation. "All we can do is carry it out."

A hush fell over the crowd. Finally, Bulma spoke up. "No, Vegeta. We're not going to just launch her into space."

Vegeta looked aghast. "Woman, didn't you hear a word I just said? We can't--"

"Vegeta, I've heard the words 'it can't be done' a lot of times in my life. And so have you." Bulma gave her husband a hard look. "And we both know just how empty those words are. We just need to figure how to get at the problem..."

"Woman, you're not making sense. What on Earth are you talking about?!"

Bulma smirked. "Something we have here on Earth, that most places don't have..."

Vegeta continued to stare blankly for a moment. Then, a look of realization came over Gohan's face. "The dragonballs!"

"Exactly," said a triumphant Bulma. "We'll just stick the girl in stasis for now, then break out the old dragon radar, gather the balls, then wish the girl cured!"

"We... Can't quite do that..." Suddenly, all eyes turned to Tien, who continued in a quiet tone. "At least not yet. The dragonballs are being... Recharged."

"Tien!" Cried Bulma. "What did you do?"

"Look," Tien said defensibly. "We had had four years where nothing had gone horribly wrong! It seemed safe. So Chouzu and I figured it would be okay to use them..."

"So..." Prompted Yamcha, not quite a accusatory as Bulma. "What'd you use them for?"

Sighing, Tien swallowed his pride and spat it out. "Lunch. We had the dragon... Stabilize... Her double personality." Tien shrugged. "And since we had a wish left over, a working sewer system. ...You'd be surprised how complicated that really is..."

"Oh." Bulma hadn't expected that, but it seemed like a good use for the dragonaballs. "So how long until we can use them again?"

Tien bit his lip, thinking. "Um, probably a little more than two months..."

"Well," continued Bulma, almost as confident as before. "We can still do that. We'll just keep the girl in stasis for a few months, _then_ get the dragonballs and--"

"That still may not work." This time, all eyes turned to Piccolo. "There are limits to what the dragonballs can do. One of those limits involves 'natural causes.' If someone gets sick, and dies from that sickness, they can't be wished back. I'm not sure just how far that limitation goes. It's possible," Piccolo paused for a moment, "just possible, that we won't be able to wish her better."

"Piccolo, don't tell us 'maybe.' You--Half of you used to be Kami. You _made_ the dragonballs!" Tien's voice didn't quite waver, but it held an unmistakable not of concern. "You know their limits! You _have_ to!"

Piccolo lowered his head. "I don't. That sort of thing has never been tried with the Earth dragonballs."

"Dende, then!" Piped Yamcha. "He's the current Guardian of Earth, and he's a healer, maybe he knows something. Or can figure out something..." Yamcha exhaled nervously. "...I hope... But Bulma's right, we've got to do something..."

Piccolo nodded. "Agreed. Tien, get the girl. Put her in the stasis unit." Tien nodded back, turned to go fetch the girl.

Back on the spaceship, Vegeta was staring in disbelief. "You... You can't be serious! You don't have any idea of what you're getting into!"

A stern look came over Piccolo's face. "We rarely do, Vegeta. But that's never stopped us before." Piccolo paused, glaring at the Saiyan prince. "Yamcha's right this time. Whether we like it or not, this Saiyan is now our problem. She's a threat, and now it's our responsibility to eliminate that threat. Once and for all."

"But..."

"If you still feel that you have to remain up there, we'll send you what you need. Food, water, air..." Piccolo glanced at Chi Chi, anticipating her next comment. "Gohan's books..." Chi Chi smirked, glad that someone finally understood her. "We'll keep in touch down here, and contact you when we've beaten this thing. And trust me, we _will_ beat it." With that, Piccolo switched off the connection.

Piccolo turned around. "Well, plans?"

"You get Dende," commented Yamcha. "It's his planet, he should be here. 'Sides, he may be able to help find some way to cure our girl. And, if nothing else..." Yamcha laughed, nervously. "He'll be able keep any of the rest of us coming down with it, too..."

Bulma scowled at her ex's half hearted joke. "Sure... Piccolo, after you're done with that, I want you and Tien to go back to where the Saiyan landed. There may be something there that could give us some clues as to how to beat this."

Piccolo just nodded, while Yamcha meekly raised his arm. "Uh... What'll I be doing?"

"Staying here," Bulma curtly replied. "Just in case the Saiyan wakes up." With that, Bulma walked off to inspect the stasis unit.

"Lucky me..." Muttered Yamcha as he crossed his arms. But his mood quickly lightened. "So, Tien used his wish on Lunch... I think I know what _that_ means..."

Piccolo cast a sideways glance at Yamcha.

Yamcha smirked back. "Well, Piccolo, it looks like you and I are the only bachelors left in the old crew. Tell ya what, after we Kamehameha this thing into oblivion, why don't the two of us go hit a bar and see if we can't pick up some twins?"

Piccolo stared at Yamcha for a moment, then scowled. "Leave me out of your life's plans, Yamcha."

As Piccolo walked away, Yamcha smirked at the Namek. "Okay then! See you in twenty years, in Otherworld. We'll hook it up with some Demon babes..."

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	6. Crawling in the Dark

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Crawling in the Dark

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Just outside the Lab, later...

Dende paused as the door to the Laboratory slid open. As Piccolo watched, the young Namek seemed to shudder for a second. "Something wrong, Dende?"

Tightening his grip on his staff, Dende replied in a soft voice. "Yes. Very. Can't you sense it, Piccolo?" Dende looked up at his predecessor. "Can't you feel the... ...Wrongness at work here?"

Piccolo frowned. "No. But I do know enough to be sure we shouldn't stall any longer than necessary. Not if what Vegeta said was true..." With that, Piccolo walked passed the young Guardian and into the lab proper. Sighing, Dende steeled himself for the worst, and followed him.

The young Guardian quickly came upon the Saiyan. She was encased in a vertical glass tube, which itself was half embedded in a maze of conduits and machinery. Dende's attention, however, was immediately drawn to the Saiyan herself. Still clad in her tattered armor, she was propped up inside the unit, strapped to what resembled an inclined operating table, with some cables running to a breather unit on her face. Though obviously unconscious, her muscles were clenched, and her expression stern. Around her, frost had begun to gather on the glass, and wisps of chilled vapor floated upward.

For a moment, the sight took Dende's breath away.

"That's her," Piccolo needlessly informed. He then turned to Bulma, who was sitting with Puar at one of the displays. "Everything going smoothly?"

With a sigh, Bulma pushed herself away from the console. "Yeah. As far as I can tell, it is. When we first put her in, her lifesigns went wild for a bit, but they've since settled down. She's been holding steady for the past half hour..."

"Good," responded Piccolo, noticing that Yamcha and Tien had also joined them around the stasis unit. "Dende?"

Placing his hand on the glass, Dende closed his eyes. Tentatively, his senses reached out to the girl. "Yes," he whispered, "this is the source of the wrongness. I can feel it. The sickness. The disease. The pain... Her mind is... Not as it should be."

"Hmp," Yamcha scoffed. "Tien could have told us that." Tien elbowed Yamcha in the ribs, silencing him.

"Bulma," Dende continued, oblivious to the interruption, "check your readings. I can still feel her mind... I can still feel... _It_... She is not truly in stasis." Though his voice remained a whisper, but become more forceful nonetheless. Opening his eyes, Dende drew back. "You were right to be cautious with her. There is a great evil inside her..."

Bulma was already back at her console, checking the readings from the stasis unit. "Er... Are you sure about that Dende? My readings are normal..."

Tien eyed Dende with a stern expression on his face. "You sensed a great evil _inside_ her. The virus?"

"To call it a 'virus,' is to oversimplify it," Dende quietly informed them. "It would be akin to calling a Human an animal. It is true, there is so much more to be said..." Dende paused, never taking his eyes of the sight in front of him. "What infects the girl, is much more than a virus. It is a construct. It is someone's creation. It has a purpose. Almost a consciousness..."

Tien's eyes widened. "What?"

"This virus is not natural," continued Dende. "There is... A force behind it. I can sense it..."

"A force?" Asked Yamcha. "What... What kind of force?"

Dende closed his eyes, once again letting his senses flow towards the girl. "Yes... The virus is linked to the Eternal Realm. Its drawing power from there. Each virus..." Dende paused, obviously concentrating hard. "The viruses are acting like portals. Drawing Mystic power away from the Realm, and giving it to the girl. And they have infected the girl's cells. Changing them. Using their resources to produce more viruses..."

"That's what all viruses do," Bulma quietly informed, though her comment was mostly ignored.

"But, I can sense more..." Dende continued after a pause. "There is a consciousness being transmitted along with the power. It is fighting for control of the girl's mind. I don't believe it has to fight hard any more..."

"What are you saying?" Piccolo nervously rumbled.

"What I am saying," Dende opened his eyes and looked met Piccolo's gaze. "Is that for all intents and purposes, the girl has been possessed."

"Hold on now," Tien angrily interjected. "That's not _anything_ like what Vegeta told us."

"No," Dende sternly responded. "Vegeta told you what he knew. Which was nothing but legends and hearsay, from a superstitious, barbaric, and godless race who could have cared less about the truth. Do you truly expect accurate information from a source such as that?"

Tien stepped back, subdued. "I guess not..."

"Heh, looks like you're not the only one with a low opinion of Saiyans..." Mumbled Yamcha, a smirk tugging at his mouth.

After a short pause, Bulma spoke up. "Dende, how could a virus, well, _do_ all that?"

Dende turned to Bulma, his expression softening. "As I mentioned, this virus could not have developed naturally. Someone created this. Some god or demon engineered this virus to turn living being into batteries of Mystic energies. A battery devoid of its own will, and consumed by evil. A killing machine." Dende shook his head. "But for the life of me, I cannot tell you why such a virus was made..."

It was Yamcha who spoke up next. "Look Dende, we all lived through Gero. We understand this sort of thing. Aimless vengeance on a cosmic scale and all that..." Yamcha paused, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck. "But that's really not important, is it? What's import is if we can beat this thing. ...Can we?"

"Hey, if this was created by a god, it could be destroyed by a god," added Tien. "Which means you might be able to do something, right Dende?"

"I'm afraid I can't," came the Guardian's quiet response. "The power I sensed from the girl... It is far beyond what I am capable of handling."

Piccolo frowned. "Dende..."

"I can't, Piccolo. I just _can't_..." Dende stared forlornly at the stasis unit. "Whomever created the virus... Whomever still drives the virus, is just too powerful. I fear that if I attempted to intervene, it might take notice of me." Dende looked back at his friends. "The virus and I both draw upon the same power. If we clashed, there is a chance that I too could come under its influence. The virus was obviously engineered to be unstoppable. I'm afraid it just may be..."

"Whoa," commented Yamcha, trying to comprehend what all that had meant. "Um, maybe launching the girl into space isn't such a bad idea after all..."

"No, Yamcha," began Tien, forcefully. "There has to be a better option than that."

"Hold on a second," came Bulma's somewhat distracted voice. "Dende, you said that the individual viruses aren't what are influencing the girl. That some... I don't know... Some demon is controlling her? That the viruses are just transmitting the demon's will?"

Wearily, Dende closed his eyes in resignation. "Again, that is oversimplifying the situation, but yes. There is no demon of sorts, merely a consciousness obsessed with evil. The viruses themselves are doing very little to the girl herself."

"So we kill the virus, we cut the demon's control of her," Bulma mused.

"And then we just have a regular Saiyan left to deal with," finished Piccolo, picking up on Bulma's line of thinking. "But if Dende tries to eliminate the virus, the... Consciousness would notice, and lash out at him."

"Yes," Dende confirmed. "But not physically. Mystically. Through my connection to the Eternal Realm. And I fear it could easily defeat me as such."

"I don't get it," cut in Tien. "It didn't attack me earlier. And I drained the girl's life force! Directly! Shouldn't it have noticed that?!"

"No," corrected Dende. "Because you attacked the girl. You did nothing the to source of the Consciousness' control. Nothing to the virus itself. Had you attacked that, which is what you would have me do, there would certainly have been a backlash."

Yamcha scratched his head, not quite getting it. "Uh, okay, whatever... So how _do_ we go after the viruses, _without_ getting attacked?"

Silence fell over the room.

Finally Piccolo spoke up. "The Saiyan immune system--"

"Hasn't done anything," interrupted Yamcha. "If it did, little miss anonymous wouldn't be sleeping on ice."

"Hmmm..." All eyes turned to Bulma, who was rubbing her chin thoughtfully. After a moment, and without acknowledging the others, she walked over to another console and began tapping away at it.

Dende was the first to voice his curiosity. "Uh, Bulma?"

Puar, who was still perched on Bulma's shoulder, piped up next. "Bulma, why are you looking up... Nannies?"

"Nanites, Puar," Bulma curtly corrected. "Nanites. Small, usually microscopic robots. Dende said the viruses themselves were originally 'constructed' by someone. In a sense, biological nanites. So I'm thinking we could design our _own_ nanites, which we could program to destroy the viruses."

"But then wouldn't they be targeted?" Asked Tien.

"Of course. And they'll probably be destroyed in pretty short order," Bulma commented off hand. "So we'll probably half to give them some sort of self replicating abilities..." Trailing off, Bulma returned her attention to the console in front of her.

Yamcha eyed his ex uneasily. "So, you want to fight the virus, with _robots_? Robots small enough to actually fit inside a Saiyan blood vessel? And to still be able to replicate themselves, and fight off a Mystically powered virus?" Yamcha looked at the others. "Am I the only one who thinks that's just a little bit more than robots can do?"

Dende responded with an uncharacteristic smirk. "Yamcha, to paraphrase one of the great warriors of our times, 'We all lived through Gero. We understand this sort of thing. Technological progress run amok, and all that...'" Had the situation been less grave, Dende would have laughed at the expression on Yamcha's face.

Piccolo ignored the joke. "Yamcha has point, Bulma. Can you actually build a 'nanite' that will actually do all that?"

Bulma paused her typing, and gave Piccolo an earnest look. "I can try. Between me, my dad, and the tech we've picked up from salvaged Saiyan equipment and Android 16, we might be able to bang something out. It'll take time, of course, but..." Bulma glanced at all the assembled warriors. "Do we have anything better to try?"

After a moment's silence, Tien shrugged. "I guess not."

"Okay then..." Bulma nodded and kept her gaze on Tien. "You, take Piccolo to the crash site and see if you can find what's left of whatever brought the girl to Earth. If you find anything that looks even remotely salvageable, bring it here. At this point, any bit of tech we can find could be useful."

Tien nodded. "We're on it."

Bulma didn't give him a second glance. "Yamcha, go get Dad and bring him down, and tell Mom to bring us coffee. Pots of it. Dende, I want to know everything you can tell me about the virus. Physical details. Roughly how big it is, what it's composed of, what materials are in it..."

Bulma's voice faded away as Tien and Piccolo left the laboratory. "Tell me Piccolo," started Tien as they ascend the stairs to the surface, "did you understand even _half_ of what was being said down there?"

After a thoughtful pause, Piccolo shook his head. "Not really, no."

Tien sighed. "Well, at least I'm in good company..."

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	7. Broken

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Broken

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Dusk, the Capsule Corps Lab...

"Yamcha?" Puar squeaked. "Yamcha, are you awake?"

As his head jerked up, Yamcha blinked a few times to clear his eyes. "Huh, whu..." Yamcha found himself looking down at Puar, who was sitting on a console, nudging his arm. Yamcha sighed, realizing he had been drifting off again. "Oh, sorry there, Puar. Guess I wasn't. Anything new going on?"

Puar shook her head. "No. Bulma and Dende started talking about antigones, or something, but they weren't making much sense. So I came to talk to you. Sorry if I woke you..."

Yamcha shook his head. "Ah, don't worry about it Puar. I shouldn't be sleeping here anyway. Though maybe I should talk to Bulma's mom about getting some cots down here..." Yamcha trailed off and leaned back in his chair. At the same time, he reached out and ruffled the fur on Puar's head. "But actually, I think they were probably talking about 'antigens.' They're a... Part of a virus. Bulma thinks they may be a weak point of the virus, which her nanites might be able to exploit..."

Yamcha sighed. "But its still just hypothetical at this point. Everything Bulma knows about _this_ virus is based on what Dende has been able to tell her. And everything_ he_ knows is based off of what he can 'sense' about the girl. Godlike awareness and all that..."

Puar responded with an empty "Oooh..."

Yamcha chuckled at his friend's reaction. "That's about what I thought. Y'know, as much I enjoy not being beaten within an inch of my life, I am starting to miss the old school threats. You know the type, Puar... The 'arrogant villain.' Those diminutive twerps or sick muscle-heads who love to stand up and boast about how unbeatable they are... I guess its just hard to feel threatened by someone strapped on a table and under glass..."

Puar sighed, and plopped down on Yamcha's shoulder. "I don't know, Yamcha. This virus thing seems scary enough for me..."

"Yeah, I guess you've got a point there..." Puar yawned, loudly, and Yamcha had to stifle a chuckle. "You've got a good point there, too..." Trailing off, Yamcha closed his eyes.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The same, ten minutes later...

As he dozed, Yamcha felt something. A slight, yet persistent tugging in the back of his mind. It was a sensation he was all too familiar with. It was the sixth sense he had first noticed back when he was a teenager. The one that usually meant that something life-alteringly bad was about to happen.

Fully aware, Yamcha opened his eyes, and stood up. Puar was knocked over by his sudden movement, and gave a squeak of dismay. Yamcha however, ignored her and quickly glanced around the laboratory. Despite the spotty lighting, everything seemed in place. Nothing was overturned or disturbed, save for Puar, and Bulma, Doctor Briefs, and Dende were all huddled around a drawing board on the far wall.

Then his gaze fell on the stasis unit. As if in a fitful sleep, the girl was sporadically tugging against the bonds that held her in place. And as he watched one restraint was torn out.

"Ooooh _shit_!" Yamcha took a step back in fear. "_Bulma_!" He yelled out. "It's waking up! The Saiyan is waking up!"

Across the room, Bulma whirled around in surprise, disrupting the papers around her. Instantly, she saw the saw the fitful movements of the supposedly unconscious Saiyan. "No," she muttered quietly, "it can't..."

Dende, remaining surprisingly calm, rushed to Yamcha's side. "It's... The mutations. Her physique has been altered, as if specifically to resist stasis! She... Must have mutated while she was unconscious! But... But she wasn't supposed to..."

By that time, Bulma had come out of her stupor and had rushed to one of the consoles. "Her life signs are... Oh Kami, her temperature is _above _standard. But her metabolism--its still the same..."

"Ki," supplied Dende, gripping his staff tightly. "It's the power the viruses are pouring into her. That's what's keeping her warm. But..." Dende closed his eyes in concentration. "But if I can disrupt her power..."

A glow formed around Dende's staff as he prepared himself. Abruptly, there was a flash of light and an explosion of power, and Dende was thrown across the room.

"Dende!" Called out Bulma, quickly rushing to his side.

Having himself been knocked over by the explosion, Yamcha quickly scrambled back to his feet. He looked frantically at Dende, then back at the Saiyan. The manacle holding the other arm had given out. Steeling himself, Yamcha threw caution to the wind and rushed towards the stasis chamber.

"Yamcha," commanded Bulma, kneeling by the prone Namek, "Dende is out cold. Help me--" Bulma looked up, only to see Yamcha unlocking the clamps that held the glass tube in place. "Yamcha! What are you _doing_?!"

Yamcha ignored her. After undoing the last clamp, he swung the tube open and thrust in his right hand. Gathering his own power, Yamcha formed a tiny ki ball in his hand.

At that point, the Saiyan woke up. She blinked, and her eyes met Yamcha's. For a second, neither of them moved.

"_Teaaahhh_!" Though muffled by her breather, the panic in her scream was evident. Frantically, the Saiyan tried to back away. "_Zea hanea_!"

Not acknowledging the Saiyan's reaction, Yamcha withdrew his hand, leaving the ki ball hovering in place. With more force than was necessary, Yamcha slammed the tube back into place, and hastily welded the edges with a low ki blast. Meanwhile, women on both sides of the glass were screaming at him.

"_Yamcha_!"

"Pea _ajaaaaaon_!"

With a determined scowl on his face, Yamcha took a step backwards, and raised his right hand. In response, the ki ball inside the stasis tube shot upwards, blasting though the machinery above the tube. Her attention caught by the sudden movement, the Saiyan reflexively looked up. A fraction of a second later, a sudden burst of liquid nitrogen splashed down onto her face.

The Saiyan's scream degenerated into a strangled grunt, and she slowly slouched forward. Nitrogen continued to pour down, and the liquid began to fill up the chamber. Steadily, the Saiyan's breathing slowed, and she eventually collapsed forward onto the glass. By the time the nitrogen had stopped pouring in, the tube was almost completely filled, and the Saiyan was once again safely unconscious.

Exhaling loudly, Yamcha wiped his forehead with his arm. "Wow..." He breathed out. "That actually worked..."

"Yamcha," Bulma began, apprehensibly approaching her ex. "What... What did you do?"

"The storage tank..." Answered Yamcha, still catching his breath. "Which holds the coolant for the stasis unit. It's directly above the tube that holds the girl. I figured if the tank is breached, the coolant would flood the tube, and refreeze the girl."

"And... It worked..." Bulma trailed off, staring off at the Saiyan.

"Well, for now, at least."

Slowly, Yamcha turned to face Doctor Briefs, who had just now joined them from the back of the room. "For... Now?"

"Well," the Doctor continued, "with all the coolant exposed, and uninsulated, it'll warm up rather quickly. That, and I doubt the glass will hold out too long. It's probably already brittle, and all in all I'm surprised it hasn't broken under the weight already." Stroking his beard, the Doctor glanced at a deformed patch of glass near the Saiyan's chest. "Especially where that first blast melted through..."

A concerned expression formed on Yamcha's face. "Um... Please tell me we can fix this..."

"Well obviously our first unit didn't work. And this technique does seem to. At least momentarily... And seeing as how the old unit is somewhat damaged..." The Doctor paused, as both Yamcha and Bulma expectantly looked on. "I suppose if we want to submerse the girl in coolant, the best way to do it would be in a pressurized vat of nitrogen. Insulated, of course..."

Yamcha looked at the Doctor, dazed. "Pressurizable, airtight vat. Right..." Yamcha glanced around the lab. "Maybe you've got something in the garage. Or maybe in the other labs..." Still with a dazed look in his eyes, Yamcha headed towards the exit of the lab, with Puar following him. "Man, I wish I had gotten more sleep last night..."

Bulma watched him leave. "Ho, boy..."

After another moment of scratching his chin, the Doctor also walked away. "And I suppose I should go about finding some more liquid nitrogen. I wonder if we have some warehoused in town..."

Bulma watched her father leave. In the silence that followed, it dawned on her that she was now alone in the same room as a potentially very violent Saiyan. She had forgotten how... Intimidating that situation could actually be...

The mood was broken by Dende's groan. Quickly, Bulma knelt back down to help the Guardian up. "Uh, easy there Dende. I've got you."

Between the assistance of Bulma and his own staff, Dende stood up. "That..." He muttered, "was enlightening..."

Bulma balked. "Enlightening? Care to _enlighten_ me?"

Readjusting his weight, Dende tightened his grip on his staff and looked at Bulma. "The virus, did indeed lash out at me. Though not as I expected..." Dende tightened his grip on his staff and began moving towards the Saiyan. "The blast that you saw, the one that incapacitated me, did not come from the Mystic Realm. It was an attack directly from the virus. It noticed me, or perhaps just the power I was summoning, and it lashed out at _that_. It used its own power to attack me. And I believe it may well have drained most of its power reserves in doing so."

Bulma stared at Dende, blankly. "Dende?"

"Most enlightening indeed," Dende continued, without hearing her. "My earlier assessment was wrong. There is no consciousness _behind_ the virus. The consciousness is the virus itself. As they gain power, they send transmissions to each other, creating their own neural net inside the girl. Latching itself to her own nervous system, and overwhelming it." Dende paused again, thinking. "Which is why it acts as it does. It cannot act without active nervous impulses. And it does not appear to be able to generate those impulses itself. So it waits for the impulses to begin, for the girl to wake up, and then assume control over her consciousness."

Turning slightly, Dende noticed Bulma's questioning look. Anticipating her remark, he continued. "Which reopens the question of why I was attacked, and not Tenshinhan. Tell me Bulma, did Tien ever mention whether or not the Saiyan was _conscious_ when he drained her life force?"

Bulma bit her lip. "Err, not directly, no. But I think he implied that she was unconscious..."

"Which would fit the new theory." Commented Dende, somewhat proud of his deductions.

"Hold on, Dende," began Bulma, now firmly. "If that's the case, why did the Saiyan power up while she was in the stasis chamber? And how?! If she can only--"

Dende hastily cut her off. "Vegeta called the virus 'Auto Mutation Syndrome.' Though I doubt he knew the truth behind the virus, he undoubtedly knew the truth of what it does. Randomly mutating the victim. ...Though perhaps not so randomly as it would first appear..." Dende shook his head once again. "Though as for how, it is possible that the girl had already achieved some degree of consciousness before she was placed in the stasis unit. That the effects of Tien's actions had already begun to wear off. Or that the virus can begin to work using subconscious impulses..."

Turning around, Dende began walking back to the table he had been working at before the disturbance. "But that is all academic. It tells us little as to how to defeat the virus. Come, Bulma. We still have much work to do."

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	8. Now Or Never

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Now or Never

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Over the great northern forests...

"Keep in mind," called out Tien, as he flew over the forest. "I never actually made it to the crash site. Before I could get there, our Saiyan friend had woken up, and was already moving around. I just have a basic idea of where it is."

Piccolo, who was flying ahead of Tien, nodded inperceptively. "That'll be good enough."

Tien was silent for a moment, then called out again. "I don't suppose Namek eyes are all that better than Human eyes, are they?"

Piccolo actually looked back at Tien. "Not drastically. Why?"

Tien tilted his head skyward. "Clouds are coming in. Night comes quickly up here. I'd say we've only got another twenty minutes of daylight. And the way the clouds look, we won't be getting any starlight, either."

Silently, Piccolo returned his gaze forward.

Tien guessed the meaning of this. "We could open up the clouds, though. Enough ki will do that."

"No," came Piccolo's gruff reply. "Considering what's gone on lately, I'd rather not risk the disturbance."

"You sure that's really necessary?"

"Are you sure it isn't?"

Silence reigned for a moment.

"All right, then. We'll get some lights from... My place. This way."

Tien veered to the right, and a moment later Piccolo looped around to follow him. As he did, Piccolo briefly wondered what was behind's Tien's pause, but quickly dismissed the thought.

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Chouzu's Palace, nighttime...

Effortlessly, Tien and Piccolo dropped down into a courtyard behind the Palace. On the ground, Chouzu, Lunch, and Kushami anxiously awaited their arrival.

"Tien!" Cried Lunch as soon as he touched down. "Are you all right?!"

"Huh? Of course I am," Tien replied, wondering why Lunch sounded worried. "Why wouldn't I..." Tien belatedly remembered that his shirt had been reduced to a shredded tank top. "Oh, that. It's nothing."

"Yeah, it's not like he hasn't had worse..." Piccolo glanced at the blond woman, who was, for some reason, glaring at him.

"So what happened?" Chouzu asked, ignoring Kushami. "You said that you ran into a Saiyan, but that didn't feel anything like a Saiyan energy signature..."

"Actually, it was an Oozaru. It's a type of Saiyan transformation," informed Tien. "Sorry I couldn't say much earlier, but I was kind of in a rush. And we really should be now, too..."

"But why? Did it get loose or something?" Chouzu looked at Tien with genuine worry in his eyes.

"Not exactly, but..." Tien exhaled, apprehensibly. "Look, it's a long story, and I'd rather not repeat it. ...'Cause whenever someone does, it gets worse." He added under his breath.

Lunch stared blankly at Tien. "What?"

"Look, the Oozaru is a Saiyan who's got a virus that makes her more dangerous dead than she is alive. So we're keeping her frozen while we try and find a cure for the virus."

"Bulma and Dende are studying the virus," informed Piccolo, speaking for the first time since he arrived. "Tien and I are headed to the site where the Saiyan landed, so we can look for remnants of whatever brought the Saiyan here. We came here," Piccolo paused for a second, "for lights."

Tien continued the thread, with a slight smirk on his face. "As you can see, its dark. And Piccolo wants to keep ki use at a minimum." Tien noticed Chouzu's questioning expression. "The virus _might_ be ki-active. And we know its psi-active. Like I said, it's a long story..."

"I guess that sort of makes sense..." Chouzu paused for a moment. "Okay, I think we have some pretty big hand-lights in the shed by the west wing..." With that, Chouzu took to the air and started floating towards the Palace proper, with Tien trailing close behind.

"And lets get Tien a new shirt," Lunch added as she followed them. "The nights get pretty cold this time of year..."

Piccolo remained where he was and watched the trio enter the Palace. After they disappeared form sight, he returned his gaze to the blond woman, who was still glaring at him.

"Figures you're involved in this," muttered Kushami, as Piccolo caught her gaze.

Piccolo remained silent, waiting for her to go on. She didn't.

Finally, more out of boredom than real curiosity, Piccolo prompted her. "...Really?"

"Don't play stupid, green man," said Kushami. "You know why as well as I do. Every time I've seen the two of you in on something together, my Tien ends up getting hurt. It happened at the Cell Games. At the incident with the Saiyans. And lets not forget your part in that debacle at the Twenty Second Tenaichi Bodukai..."

"That," corrected Piccolo, "was my 'father,' of sorts, Piccolo Daimao. _I_ present at the Twenty _Third_ Tenaichi Bodukai. Tien was barely harmed in that altercation."

This, however, only served to deepen Kushami's scowl. Angrily, she walked up at him. "But since Tien insists the two of you have buried the hatchet, I'm going to let all that slide. For now. But on this mission, Namek, if he dies," Kushami jabbed her finger in Piccolo's chest for emphasis, "you die. Capiche?"

Thoroughly unintimidated, Piccolo looked down at the girl who stood over a foot shorter than him. "Sure," he responded with a condescending smirk.

Kushami gave Piccolo one last scowl, then turned around and stalked off into the Palace.

Piccolo gave a bemused snort, then his expression returned to normal as he waited for Tien's return. 

A few moments later, Tien voice came through the darkness. "Okay, Piccolo, we're ready to roll."

Piccolo looked up and saw Tien approaching with a knapsack slung over his shoulder. Tien also sported a new green shirt, which three red triangles running up the right side, connected by a thoroughly unnecessary seam. The shoulders sported similar decoration.

"Are you sure there isn't anything we can do, Tien?" Asked Chouzu, who was trailing Tien.

Tien halted, and turned back to the Emperor. "Chouzu, I know you want to help, but its probably best that you stay here. You're a psychic. And from what I gathered from Dende, the virus seemed to work along the lines of a possession. And it also sounded like people with any sort of psychic or mystic abilities were especially vulnerable." Tien exhaled, knowing Chouzu would be disappointed. "There's a chance you might do some good, but I think there's a greater chance that your powers would make you a better target."

Chouzu nodded, sadly. "I understand..."

"I won't let you become just another casualty," Tien finished. "Not again... Take care little guy. I'll contact you when I can." With that, Tien took to the air.

Chouzu turned to Piccolo. "Good luck..."

Silently, Piccolo nodded, then flew off after Tien.

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	9. Closer to the Edge

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Closer to the Edge

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Morning, the Capsule Corps Lab...

Yamcha stood in front of the newly rebuilt containment unit, nervously tightening his glove. "Bulma, are you sure this is... Necessary?" Yamcha was now clad a what appeared to be a padded white bodysuit. It covered everything below his jaw line, and was laced with various seams, straps and patches.

"Of course I am, Yamcha," replied Bulma, not looking up from the schematics she was consulting. "Do you really think I'd go through the trouble of putting that outfit together if I wasn't?"

"What is Yamcha going to do, again?" Asked an apprehensive Puar.

Yamcha looked over at his friend. "Uh, as far as I can tell, I'm going to go into the stasis tube, er, vat, and try to get a blood sample from the Saiyan. That about right?"

"Not entirely," corrected Dende. "We know the virus is 'activated' when the host dies, but we're not sure if simply removing the virus from the host will do the same. Its a risk we'd rather not take, but we _do_ need to examine the virus directly. Thus, Bulma and her father have concocted this," Dende pointed to a small mess of wires and machinery spread across the table, "which will allow us to examine a blood sample, without removing it from the Saiyan."

Yamcha frowned. "And it does that... How?"

Dende picked up the device, more than happy to explain the process. "The device has two needles. One here, and one here." Dende indicated a pair pinpricks coming out of a small metallic disk. "You attach this disk to the Saiyan's wrist, so that both needles penetrate the artery. The first needle draws blood out of the vessel. From there, it is transferred through these micro tubes, which are both insulated and heated, and contains its own temperature gauge and micro computer to keep the blood at the right temperature--"

"Wait," interrupted Yamcha. "Isn't the Saiyan supposed to be _frozen solid_? I thought that was the whole point of submersing her in liquid Nitrogen!"

"No," replied Doctor Briefs, who was next to Bulma, working on what appeared to be a modified gas mask. "Not entirely. As we figured out earlier, the energy the virus siphons into the girl keeps her from freezing entirely. We're still recording some blood movement, but its well below what even a Saiyan needs to be conscious."

"Oh," Yamcha deadpanned.

"As I was saying," Dende cheerfully continued, "the blood sample is kept at a temperature comparable to when it was in the girl. From there, the blood flows through this, which performs the tests we need. After that, the blood gets sent back through this wire, and it reinjected back into the bloodstream, through the second needle." Dende smirked. "That's what it does, but if you want to know how it does all that, you'll have to ask Bulma."

"That's okay," responded Yamcha, drolly, "I really don't care at this point..."

"That's good," commented Bulma, as she jotted something down on the schematics. "'Cause we really don't have time to explain that to you." Yamcha scowled, remembering with renewed clarity why he and Bulma never made it together. "Daddy, are you about ready with Yamcha's mask?"

"Almost," replied the doctor. A few moments and minor spot welds later, Doctor Briefs stood up. "There. Be careful with the cords," he advised as he handed the mask to Yamcha.

Yamcha took the mask with a sigh. "You have no idea how comforting that sounds..."

"Can the sarcasm, Yamcha," cut in Bulma. "We've got to get this started."

Yamcha sighed and slipped the mask over his face. After a few moments of adjusting it and tightening various straps, Yamcha nodded. "Okay, lets go..."

-----------------------------------------------------------

Later, around a newly rewired console...

"Yamcha," Bulma complained into the headset she was wearing, "is there any chance you could hurry it up in there?"

Dende, who was wearing a headset of his own, looked up at this. "Please, Bulma, don't antagonize him. I'm sure this is hard enough on Yamcha as it is."

"...Damn straight it is..." Came Yamcha's muffled and static-filled reply. "...You try swimming in Nitrogen sometime... ...And we'll see how you like it..." The speaker was silent for another moment. "...Oh, and just so you know... ...The second light just went dead..."

Dende's jaw tightened. "There are only three lights on Yamcha's headpiece, aren't there."

"I believe so," responded Doctor Briefs. "Which means he's down to his last light..."

"Suck it up, Yamcha," Bulma scolded. "Complaining won't get you out of there any sooner.

Yamcha's reply was inaudible over the static. After a moment of silence Yamcha spoke up again. "...Okay... ...The device is attached..."

"Aw-right!" Cried Bulma. "I'm starting it up now." With that, Bulma devoted her entire attention to the console in front of her. Dende watched her, a triumphant smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Until Yamcha spoke again.

"...Damn..." He mumbled. "...Cold in here..."

Reflexively, Dende placed his hand on his headset. "I know it is, Yamcha. But that can't be helped. Just stay calm, and don't power up. We're already getting the readings we need. We'll have you out of there in ten minutes, tops."

There was a pause before Yamcha responded. But during that time, Dende swore he could hear Yamcha's breathing over the static. "...Hate to beak it to you... ...But I already am... ...Be dead already if I weren't..." Dende caught his breath at this, and cast a nervous glance towards Bulma. Bulma, however was still immersed in her console. "...Guess that's what we get... ...For putting this together in one night..."

Dende exhaled, relieved that Yamcha was still well enough to crack a joke. "Okay, just... Be careful in there..."

"...Sure..." This time, Dende was positive he could hear Yamcha's labored breathing. "...Will do..."

Dende put his hand over the headset's mouthpiece and turned to Bulma. "Is there any chance we can hurry this up? Yamcha's suit isn't working!"

Bulma glanced down at the Namek. "You're kidding."

"No. Yamcha has already been forced to power up to stay warm."

Bulma exhaled in annoyance. "The heating pack must not be working right. I was worried those coils might not have enough resistance in them..." Bulma trailed off, looking over her console once more. "Okay..." After tapping a few buttons she looked back at Dende. "I've canceled the more in depth tests. The device will finish what it's running now, and then Yamcha can pull out. Then while Dende and I go over the results, Dad can rewire Yamcha's suit. Sound good?"

Dende nodded.

Doctor Briefs likewise nodded, stroking his beard as he did. "So the heating coils failed. I'll go see if we have any better models in the garage." With that, the Doctor got up to leave.

Dende smiled, and released the mouthpiece. "Good news, Yamcha. You can get out of there in..."

"Less than two minutes." Finished Bulma. "As soon as I give the signal, you can disengage the device and get out of there."

"Couldn't we leave it on the girl?" Dende suddenly prompted. "Then keep running the tests, and just send Yamcha back in to retrieve it?"

Bulma shook her head. "Too risky. That's still just a beta-unit. We need to have someone standing by in case it malfunctions." Bulma glanced back at her console and nodded to herself. "Yamcha," she addressed through the headset, "the tests are done. All blood is back in the Saiyan. You can get out of there anytime."

Dende smiled, anticipating some kind of witty retort.

It didn't come.

"Yamcha?" Bulma's voice held a note of concern to it. "Yamcha, retrieve the device and get out of there." Nothing could be discerned through the static. "Yamcha, do you copy?"

Both Dende and Bulma jumped as a loud bang reverberated through the room.

Unnerved, Bulma pressed her headset closer to her head. "Yamcha, what was that?"

The room reverberated again.

"Bulma," came Dende's quiet voice. "I don't think he's listening..."

Bulma looked up, and followed Dende's gaze to the new stasis unit. There were two fist sized dents protruding from the side. As her eyes widened in horror, a third one formed. Then a forth.

Deliberately, with his eyes never leaving the vat, Dende removed his headset and grasped his staff. "Get behind me, Bulma," he quietly ordered.

For some reason, Bulma couldn't keep her voice from shaking. "But... What's he... Why..."

Dende was not given the opportunity to respond. Five fingers punctured the side of the vat, and the entire unit disintegrated with an explosion of shrapnel and pressurized Nitrogen. As the debris splashed across his ki shield, Dende's jaw tightened. He didn't see any way for this to end well.

Bulma looked up tentatively. "Ya... Yamcha?" Hearing no response, Bulma backed away. In front of her, Dende fell into a defensive stance. As they watched, a mist from the evaporating nitrogen filled the room. From the fog, a low growling could be heard.

"Yamcha," Dende called out, almost certain his words would be ignored, "whatever you're doing... Please stop." Power gathered a the tip of Dende's staff.

In response, a power rose in the center of the room, driving the fog away. In spite of herself, Bulma gasped. Still clad in his white isolation suit, Yamcha stood next to a man sized hole in the nitrogen vat. He was standing ankle deep in liquid nitrogen, and seemed to have an unnatural glow around him. Yet most disturbing was his posture. He was standing upright, yet his neck and shoulders seemed hunched down, giving him an almost feral look.

"Bulma," Dende solemnly commanded, "run."

Yamcha's head turned to face the duo. A low rumble escaped his throat, and Yamcha took a step forward.

Dende raised his staff defensibly. "Bulma!"

Despite Dende's command, Bulma remained rooted to the spot. "Yamcha... Wh... Why did you..."

Yamcha continued his advance, remaining hunched over. As he came closer, a hand grasped the tip of his breather, and ripped the mask off.

"No..."

"Gryeeeh--_hgngngngn_!" With fangs glistening in the reflected light, the beast that was once Yamcha snarled at his prey...

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	10. Feel So Numb

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Feel So Numb

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The skies on the horizon of West City...

"Bulma had better appreciate this," grumbled Piccolo.

"Trust me, Piccolo," Tien called out. "She will!"

Piccolo was flying sideways, carrying beside him a bus-sized cylinder of twisted metal. For his part, Tien was flying with a box-like bulkhead hanging from his arms. Neither of them were flying at their top speed.

Piccolo grunted in response. "Coming from you, that doesn't sound very reassuring."

"Hey," cut in Tien, "I may not know as much about spacecraft as Bulma, or even Krillin and Gohan, but I'm pretty sure I can recognize a engine core when I see one. And what I've got was _definitely_ part of the main computer system."

"And how does a 'engine core' aid in the creation of nanites?"

Tien opened his mouth, but found he didn't really have any good responses. Sighing, Tien just shook his head. "Look, Bulma just said to bring back something salvageable. That's salvageable, we're brining it back."

"Hmp." The Namek scowled. "I'm a fighter, Tien. Not a packhorse."

Tien rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. So am I. But this crisis hasn't called for warriors. It's called for packhorses and scientists. And lets face it, the two of us aren't--"

"Tien," Piccolo sternly cut in, "don't finish that statement."

As best he could, Tien shrugged, and the pair continued flying in silence.

Only a moment later, Piccolo stopped dead. Tien halted a second later. Both looked toward West City with concerned expressions.

"Do you feel that?" Tien needlessly asked.

"Dende," stated Piccolo, his brow furrowing. "He's powered up... And so has..."

Tien shook his head in denial. "That... That can't be Yamcha..."

Piccolo's eye's widened. "The Saiyan!" Piccolo dropped the engine core and flew off at top speed.

"Piccolo, wait!" Tien tossed aside his own piece of scrap and followed the Namek. "I know the Saiyan's energy signature. That's not her!"

Piccolo was already starting to pull away. "But both powers are right where she _should_ be!"

"Oh, _hell_..."

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The Capsule Corpse basement...

Holding his staff at eye level, Dende stared balefully at the beast in front of him. However, the beast, whom Dende could not truly call Yamcha, paid him no heed. Instead, it continued circling around the pair. Not even acknowledging Dende's presence, the beast leered past him, toward the shaking form of Bulma. As Bulma met its gaze, the beast's mouth drew back in a snarl.

"Bulma," Dende once more commanded, "when I tell you to, run for the stairs." Dende paused as a low growl escaped the beast. "Find your parents, and get them to safety."

Caught in the beast's gaze, Bulma's voice wavered. "But..."

"Do as I say!" The young Guardian commanded. "I'll keep him distracted... Now... Go!" More forcefully, Dende repeated the order. "_Go_!"

Tearing herself away, Bulma bolted toward the door. But before Dende could react, the beast had dashed past him and intercepted Bulma. A blow to her shoulder blades took Bulma off her feet. Before she could even cry out, she felt an elbow slam her arm against her side. Only a fraction of a second later, a wide kick to her ribs sent her crashing against the wall next to the stairs.

Groaning, Bulma grabbed the railing, and tried to pull herself back to her feet. Fighting through the pain, she looked up at her attacker, who was standing only a few feet in front of her. Its scarred, feral face almost looked amused as it stepped away from her, lowering its stance and holding its arms well away from its body. Bulma gasped as she recognized the gesture, and realized the beast was waiting for her to get back up. And inviting her to fight back...

Bulma was almost paralyzed with fear when a white blast struck the creature's back. Pulling herself together, Bulma scrambled to her feet and dashed up the stairs. As she ascended, Bulma risked a single look back. Though the beast still stood, seemingly unfazed by the attack, its attention was no longer on her.

"Yamcha," began Dende, with all the authority he could muster. "Listen to me. This is not you! This isn't what you want!" Dende readjusted his grip on his staff and raised it defensibly. "It's just a virus, Yamcha. Just a machine, trying to control you. Fight it. _It_'s what's making you do this! Don't give in! _Fight it_!"

"Khhess..."

Dende faltered, a stricken expression on his face. "Wha..."

Slowly, the creature turned to face Dende. Its head was hunched a little lower, and shadows crossed its brow, but there was an unmistakable glint in its eyes. "Hhesss..." It repeated. "Kfhight... _Kfhight you_!"

With horror in his eyes, Dende fell back a step. He had thought he had steeled himself for the worst. That a stalwart defender of Earth had been transformed into a faceless, mindless minion of evil. Dende was prepared to fight an animal. But though the creature in front of him, whether fully Yamcha or not, was still not a mere animal.

With a snarl, the beast lunged. Reflexively, Dende dropped back and threw up a ki shield. The beast struck the shield, driving Dende back and sending blue energy cackling through the room. Acting at speeds Dende could barely follow, the beast leapt up and kicked off the shield. Dende was knocked off his feet, while the beast sailed upward. Before Dende could react, the beast and ricocheted off the ceiling, landed feet first against the far wall, and had once again leapt straight toward him.

The shield collapsed under the impact. Even as Dende staggered backwards, the beast was upon him. A flurry of chops and one inside kick later, Dende found himself embedded against a steel column.

With a scowl etched on its face, the beast approached the Namek. Dende tried to react, but found he could do little more than groan. The creature looked Dende in the eyes, daring him to fight back. When no response was made, it grabbed Dende's collar, and tossed him to the ground.

Grunting, Dende tried to push himself back to his feet. But a fist to the back of his head ended his efforts.

"Khet up." Slowly, the beast began circling the fallen Guardian, with a disdainful look on its face. "_Khet up_!" It barked again. Dende made no response whatsoever. With a snarl, the beast viciously kicked Dende's ribs. The Namek doubled over, but still made no attempt to fight back.

Disgusted, the beast spat on the prone guardian, and turned to walk away. It had gotten two steps before a green blur slammed into it.

"Yamcha," growled Piccolo, as he held the beast against the wall. Though the beast's face was contorted, Piccolo instantly recognized it. Just as quickly he realized what must have happened. "This isn't good," he muttered to himself.

"Khou're hhright," growled the beast. "Khit's not!"

Piccolo's eyes widened in surprise as the beast broke his grip and lunged forward. Its hands raked down Piccolo's chest, lacerating his fighting gi.

"Yamcha?" Asked Piccolo as he distanced himself from his attacker. "You can hear me? Is that still you?"

In response, the beast lowered its stance, and raised its arms into a fighting position. But at the same time, an unhinged smile flickered across his face. "'F'kourse..."

Desperately trying to make sense of the situation, Piccolo's gaze went from the beast, to the wreckage of the room, to Dende's crumpled form, and quickly back to the beast. "But... Then... _Why_!?"

The beast leaned forward. "Khwy _not_?" Without any further explanation, the beast attacked.

Piccolo instantly countered, darting under the beast and driving his knee into its gut. As the beast recoiled, Piccolo thrust both of his fists straight forward, striking the beast's face and sending it flying backward. It hit the wall with a grunt, but quickly fell back to its feet.

Glaring at its opponent, the beast moved in again. Taking to the air, Piccolo flew forward, with his right leg readied for a spin kick. The beast seemed startled and made no apparent move to block the blow.

Nonetheless, the blow did not strike true. At the last second, the beast lowered its head and ducked down, and let the kick be deflected across and over his back. Before Piccolo could check himself, the beast whirled back around and managed to land another blow to Piccolo's midsection.

With the jab landing while Piccolo's muscles were still contorted, it caused enough pain to force the Namek to back off. The beast pushed its attack, landing a roundhouse to Piccolo's unprotected upper chest. But a third blow was blocked, as was the fourth and the fifth.

Now snarling himself, Piccolo threw himself forward. The beast blocked the first punch with his open palm, then turned sideways to avoid the second. The beast jumped up, and arched its back to dodge the third punch, then whirled around and slashed at Piccolo's face. 

This caused Piccolo to reflexively raise his arms to protect his head form any further attacks. But as he did this, the beast kicked down with both feet, driving them into Piccolo's gut. The blow sent Piccolo crashing into the far wall, while the beast landed on all fours.

Crouched lower than he usually did, Piccolo glared at his opponent. "No," he said in a low, mocking voice. "You're not Yamcha. You may have been. You may think you still are..."

The beast rose to its feet. But it still kept its stance low, and its head hunched down. Glaring at Piccolo, it growled. "**Kkhhhh**..."

"But you're not," finished Piccolo, his voice dripping with anger. "If you were, you wouldn't be doing this."

The beast took a step forward. "**Mmrrrr**..."

Piccolo straightened his posture, and his aura cackled around him. "And you would know that it would take more than that to bring me down."

The beast's own aura began to cackle. "**Gghaaa**..."

A scowl crossed Piccolo's face. Anger was overtaking his good judgment, and his bloodlust for battle was taking over. "So why don't we end this..."

"**Mmrrrr..."**

Piccolo stretched out his arm, pointing his palm at the beast.

The beast responded by throwing forward its own arms, with his hands half clenched, and his palms just touching each other. Too late, Piccolo recognized the pose, and the growls, for what they truly were. And as his eyes widened in horror, the beast's power peaked, and it screamed.

"**KKKHHHHAAAAAA**!!!"

The room took on blue sheen as the Kamehameha Wave flared into existence. It only took a second for the wave to fully form and to begin flying towards its target. Stunned, Piccolo could only remain in place with his mouth agape.

Barely a foot away from Piccolo's face, the wave abruptly changed course. Without any fanfare or extraneous display, the wave banked upward. It tore through the ceiling, then the upper floors of the Capsule Corpse Labs, and continued its course straight through the stratosphere.

With his mouth still open, Piccolo gazed upwards, through the wave's wake. The beast likewise stared at the ceiling, equally stunned. Slowly, it lowered its gaze back towards Piccolo. Then its ear twitched, and both it and Piccolo looked at the figure at the base of the stairs.

"Heh, better late than never," cracked Tien. Despite his one-liner, Tien's face was lined with concentration, and an soft glow was radiating from his third eye.

"Khou!" The beast growled, stepping forward. "Khou akkain?!"

Tien's eyes narrowed. "So it was Yamcha..."

"Ngho! Key wonn't kloose to khou akkain!" Screaming, the beast flew towards Tien. "Not grike that! _Not akkain_!"

In its fury, the beast simply aimed to ram Tien. However, Tien reacted in time, letting his aura flare and crossing his arms to block the attack. The beast was stopped, but still held its position, trying to overpower Tien. After a moment of exertion, Tien gathered his strength and shoved forward, driving the beast off of him.

"Piccolo!" Tien commanded. "Flank him! If Yamcha's got the virus, we can't let this go on!"

"Understood..." Piccolo stepped forward, two fingers already pressed against his forehead.

The beast's eyes narrowed in anger. "_Ngho_!" Gathering its own power, the beast whirled around and let loose a ki blast.

Once again, Piccolo's mouth fell open in horror. "Dende!" Teleporting, Piccolo appeared in front of the prone guardian with his arms crossed in front of him. The blast knocked Piccolo back a step, but he recovered almost instantly. He looked back up, only to see the beast glowering at him.

"Shhtay out..." Warned the beast. "This is bekkween me..." The beast pointed back at Tien. "...Andk kim!"

Piccolo glanced past the beast, apprehensibly. "Tien?"

Tien met his gaze. "Remember what Vegeta said?" He asked softly. "About giving in to primal urges?" Tien glanced back at the beast, who was glaring right back at him. "That's what this has got to be... Some old grudge. ...That the _real_ Yamcha must have put behind him years ago..."

The white-clad beast snarled disdainfully.

Piccolo met Tien's gaze again. "He also said it boosted power levels. ...Can you still take him?"

On the floor, Dende groaned softly.

Tien broke eye contact. "All right, Yamcha. Whatever grudge you have... We'll settle it."

The beast's mouth drew back into a vicious smile.

Tien's face hardened. "But not here. If we settle this, we settle this where _I_ choose to. Deal?"

The beast stepped back and spread his arms in invitation.

Sparing one last glance at Piccolo, Tien took to the air and flew through the shaft left by the Kamehameha Wave. With a sick smile still on its face, the beast followed.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Piccolo turned his attention back to Dende. Kneeling down, Piccolo brushed some rubble off of the Guardian. "Dende. Can you hear me?"

Dende's head shifted. "Puuuh... Piccolo?"

Piccolo almost smiled. "Yeah, kid, its me. Can you stand?"

Tentatively, Dende brought his hand to his forehead. "I... _Uuuoaahhh_..."

"..._Geeyyuhh_..."

Piccolo froze. Slowly, with a scowl on his face, he turned his head towards the source of the second groan. All too soon, his gaze came across the remains of the second stasis chamber. Half hidden within the shadows of the vat, lay the Saiyan, who was once again beginning to stir.

"Dende," rumbled Piccolo, in his gravest tone, "we need to refreeze the Saiyan. _Now_!"

The only response Dende could muster was a groan as he cradled his injured ribs.

The Saiyan groaned once again.

"Damn it, Dende, get up!" Piccolo grabbed the Guardian's collar and hoisted him up. "We can't let her go Oozaru! Not here! Now tell me how we can put her back in stasis!"

But the jostling was too much for the young Namek, and Dende once again slipped into unconsciousness.

Resisting the urge to panic, Piccolo dropped the Dende and turned his full attention to the Saiyan. Piccolo was completely unfamiliar with the lab equipment, so there was no way he could refreeze the Saiyan before she woke up. So if he couldn't put her back in stasis, he would just have to keep her unconscious the old fashioned way.

Powering up, Piccolo flew into the shattered vat. With the Saiyan just starting to push herself up, Piccolo raised his elbow and brought it down on the base of her neck.

With a slight cry, the Saiyan fell back to the ground. At the same time, her power level spiked. Her aura flared, washing Piccolo with raw, undirected ki. It was enough to drive him back a step, but not near enough to harm him.

Gritting his teeth, Piccolo glared down at the Saiyan. Her aura had convalesced back around her, and she appeared to be on the verge of waking up once again. Frustrated, Piccolo extended his arm and blasted the girl. The Saiyan cried out, but her power level did not significantly decrease. Snarling, Piccolo extended both arms and blasted her again.

"Damn it..." Piccolo muttered as he lowered his arms. "Its like she's..." Piccolo's eyes widened in realization. "...Being _supplied_ with her power. The virus is pumping it in... It's forcing her awake..."

Piccolo glanced across the room at the helpless Dende. "And without freezing her, we don't know how to stop the flow. Not without killing her."

With a pained groan, the Saiyan, shifted, and tried to push herself up. This brought Piccolo's attention back to her, and it brought a new resolve to his face. "Dende," he whispered, "wake up soon. You still have a lot of work to do..."

Grimly, Piccolo approached the Saiyan. Kneeling down, he put one hand on her shoulder, and pulled her up. "'Cause this..." Ignoring the cackle of her aura, Piccolo slipped his other arm around the Saiyan's neck. "Isn't..." Powering up himself, he wrenched the girl to his chest, securing the choke hold. "Over..." With the two auras flaring against each other, Piccolo took to the air. "_Yet_!"

Piccolo burst into the midmorning sun, flying at top speed, holding a struggling time bomb at his chest.

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	11. Ich Will

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Ich Will

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The Capsule Corps Orbiter, above Earth…

Bristling, Chi Chi angrily stormed across the main cabin of the Orbiter. "That… _Stupid_! …Namek…" She muttered. Coming to the end of the cabin, she turned about and stomped back the other way. "'We'll send you what you need,' he says…" Chi Chi punched the wall, leaving a small dent in the aluminum paneling. It was one among many.

"Feel better?"

Chi Chi's expression contorted. "No!" She punched the wall again for emphasis. Chi Chi glowered for a moment. "_Gohan_!" She yelled. "Gohan, has anyone called us yet?"

Trunks' voice echoed up from rear of the ship. "He's up in the control--_Ooop_!"

"Found ya!" Interrupted Goten's high pitched squeal. Laughter and several thumps ensued.

"**_Boys_**!" Yelled Chi Chi, her voice taking on an unnatural base. "**_No fighting_**!"

Her threat echoed through the ship for a moment.

"Sorry…" The unseen boys sullenly replied. 

Pursing her lips in frustration, Chi Chi shook her head and purposefully walked out of the cabin. After climbing down a short ladder and stepping through an open airlock, she found herself in the Orbiter's main control room. Chi Chi scowled. Several bulkheads had been opened up on the far wall, and miscellaneous circuitry and other pieces of equipment lay scattered around the floor. Gohan, however, was not in sight. "Gohan…" Chi Chi paused for a moment. "_Gohan_!"

"Hn?" Something thudded behind one of the bulkheads, and Gohan's gritty face appeared where a panel had been removed. "Oh!" Replied the boy. "Hi Mom! What's up?"

"We are," Chi Chi deadpanned. Gohan laughed, despite having already heard Trunks and Goten beat the joke to death. Gohan's good humor own deepened Chi Chi's scowl. "Gohan," she continued, "has Piccolo called yet?"

"Aaahhh…" Gohan eyed the side of bulkhead for a moment. "No, I don't think so."

"Has _anyone_ called us?"

"Nope," Gohan responded, with much more certainty to his voice.

Chi Chi sighed in defeat. "Have they even bothered sending anything up at all?"

Gohan shook his head. "No. There still busy doing… Well, whatever they're doing with that Saiyan girl down there. I called them once. Bulma's mom answered, and, well, she said they were still down in the lab."

Chi Chi remained silent for a moment.

"So anything new going on up here?" Gohan cheerfully asked.

Chi Chi looked her son in the eyes. "Gohan, what on Earth are you doing?"

Gohan opened his mouth, but caught himself before he actually responded. Self consciously, he glanced around at the back of the bulkhead. "Ah, well…" The boy took one last pause. "You see Mom, I was looking through the bridge supply compartment--it's over there by the communications monitors--and I found the spec books for bridge systems. I started flipping through them, trying to figure out all the diagrams, and, uh…" Lying on his side, Gohan did his best to shrug. "Do… You need me to come out for something?"

An exasperated sigh escaped Chi Chi.

"Don't worry, Mom," Gohan hastily reassured. "If I'm reading everything right, I've only been looking around the auxiliary systems! Y'know, the back-ups."

Chi Chi's eyes narrowed. "And if you're reading something wrong?"

Gohan blinked, and pursed his lips to the side. "Er…" 

"Gohan, do you remember the lecture I gave you after you 'disassembled' my oven?"

Gohan needed no further warning. "Ah, maybe I should take another look at those specs…" Gohan's head quickly disappeared behind the bulkhead.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration, Chi Chi made her way back to the main cabin.

"Saiyans are tenacious," began a voice upon her arrival. "At _whatever_ they choose to do with their lives."

Drawn from her reverie, Chi Chi cast an annoyed glance to the side. "You _would _know…"

"Hn." Vegeta grunted, but did not look back. The Saiyan Prince was standing in the corner of the cabin, leaning against a bulkhead, and staring intently out a porthole window. It was a post he had not abandoned since the ship had achieved a stable orbit.

"And taking apart a spaceship won't help him get into the good schools…" Her annoyance slowly fading, Chi Chi walked to the porthole beside Vegeta. The dark side of the Earth slowly rotated below them. "That's gotten you into trouble a lot, hasn't it," Chi Chi quietly observed.

"But gotten us back out as often as not," Vegeta concluded. "You humans have shown the same knack far more often than I would have expected."

Chi Chi exhaled slowly, and watched the planet turn. "…But you're still worried," she prompted.

"I would be a fool not to be." Vegeta let his statement hang in the air.

"Your son is awake, again," Chi Chi began, trying to change the subject.

"I noticed. As is yours."

"I don't think Gohan even fell asleep to begin with," muttered Chi Chi.

"Nor have you," interjected Vegeta. "Or I, before you say it."

Chi Chi blew a stray strand of hair from her face. "To be young," she muttered to herself. "None of _them_ seem to care, much. Just another game…"

"That is only because they do not understand the situation…" Vegeta's voice trailed off. "None of them, I'm afraid."

"I'm sure Bulma's got things under control," mumbled Chi Chi.

Vegeta's voice fell to a whisper. "I wish I could believe that. I wish I believed anything right now…"

Chi Chi glanced over at the Saiyan.

"I've been thinking," mumbled Vegeta. "There has been nothing else I _can_ do… When I was young, we knew _of_ Black Brand Saiyans, but we had not experienced them. Nearly two hundred years had passed since our last encounter with them…"

Vegeta's faced hardened and he seemed to stare past the planet below. "It was a well known _story_. An asteroid sized space hulk had been spotted moving outside the gravity wells towards Vegeta-sei. It was an ancient build. Moving too fast to be adrift. A team was dispatched to intercept it. Guard Captain Deleon led sixteen of his hand-picked guards onto the hulk. The Royal elite. Equipped with the best the armories had to offer."

Chi Chi frowned, and returned her gaze to her porthole.

Vegeta grunted. "They boarded the space hulk, hoping to find out why it was behaving as it did. What they found were Neomegas. Brutes. Twenty feet tall, gray, heavily muscled, and controlled by a brain the size of a toddler's fist. Barely rational at best, and completely unsociable. They'd as soon beat each other with clubs as they would even look at each other." 

Chi Chi kept her comment to herself.

"They were a space-faring trace by chance alone. They made amusing _pets_ in certain quarters… They should not have been a threat," Vegeta concluded. He paused, still showing no sign of emotion. "No Saiyan left that ship alive."

A guttural sound escaped Vegeta's throat. "The _story_ says the Neomegas were stronger than they should have. As royalty, I had access to the original scouter recordings of the mission. They _were_ stronger, but that wasn't what made the difference. On that hulk, they roamed in _packs_…

"Deleon's soldiers began getting picked off, so he ordered them to pull back. Most of the survivors did. But one didn't. He went Oozaru, and turned and fought." Some strength began returning to Vegeta's voice. "Hearing the fight over the scouters, Deleon rushed his troops back into the fray. The Neomegas fell back under the onslaught. The Saiyans cheered. The Oozaru killed two of them before they knew what hit them…"

Vegeta fell silent for a moment. "The soldier had caught Auto Mutation Syndrome. Deleon ordered his remaining soldiers back to their shuttles. But the Neomegas cut them off. The Saiyans were scattered. They were tired, hurt, and on the verge of panic. More succumbed to the sickness.

"I listened to it once," Vegeta muttered, whispering once again. "A soldier named Napier. She was wounded, and Deleon and two others were carrying her down one of the corridors. She screamed, and they dropped her." Vegeta's voice wavered. "She was catching it. As they watched, the brand was growing along here face. She _begged_ them to kill her. Before she lost control and it became too late. But it already was. They couldn't risk setting the virus free…"

"You said the ship was headed for your planet?" Chi Chi prompted, interrupting for the first time.

"It was," Vegeta solemnly confirmed. "The last transition we received from the guards was from Deleon himself. He relayed the audio tracks recorded by his scouter, and a personal message to the King. He told the King to stay off the space hulk. To keep _everyone_ off the space hulk." Vegeta heaved a sigh. "Deleon took the fall. Somehow, he activated whatever was left of the ancient wreck's engines, and powered the ship into the nearest gravity well. He programmed an auto-pilot sequence to pilot the ship past Vegeta-sei, and to follow the gravity well until it hit the Badlands."

Though afraid to ask, Chi Chi did so anyway. "Badlands?"

"Sectors of space made uninhabitable by Auto Mutation Syndrome. Those particular Badlands became much _bigger_ after Deleon's space hulk got there…"

Chi Chi swallowed, obviously steeling herself. "Well, I'm sure that won't happen here."

"You shouldn't be," Vegeta countered, a hollow note ringing in his voice. "As I said, I've been thinking…" Vegeta remained silent for a long moment. "No less than five Saiyans caught Auto Mutation Syndrome on that ship. Two in battle, two while retreating, at least one other unaccounted for. We never knew why. We Saiyans…" Vegeta's voice trailed off. "We've never figured out how we catch Auto Mutation Syndrome… Only that we do."

Vegeta paused another moment. "There's only one explanation for loosing so many warriors at once. Auto Mutation Syndrome was already on board the space hulk. The Neomegas had it… There is simply no other explanation."

Chi Chi glanced nervously to the side. "But… If they did, wouldn't one of your soldiers have recognized--"

"How?" Interrupted Vegeta. "By their black brands? Why should Auto Mutation Syndrome affect Neomegas the same way it affects Saiyans? It would not brand them the same way it does us. It would not transform them the same way. And… It would not make them _act_ the same way…"

Chi Chi suppressed a shudder and stared coldly out the window.

"Bulma sometimes chides others for fearing what they do not understand," said Vegeta, with a haunting note to his voice. "For all she thinks she knows, the woman is still a fool. The unknown is the most dangerous element of all… There is no reason to believe that anyone down there is safe. We know nothing of how Auto Mutation Syndrome is spread. We do not know if Humans can catch it… How to know if they have…" Vegeta trailed off one last time. "Or what it will do to them when they do…"

-----------------------------------------------------------

The plains outside of West City...

With a scowl on his face, Tien stared intently at the mesa range ahead of him. Below him lay a rolling expanse of uninhabited grasslands. Tien wanted the fight at the mesas. They were already far from any major habitations, but fights over unobstructed territory tended to move alarmingly fast. The mesas would give the fight some measure of containment...

Without any warning, Tien found himself in a headlock and forced into a rapid descent. Before he could react, the Human was driven headfirst into the ground. The impact jarred Tien, while the beast rolled away from the impact.

Spitting out topsoil, Tien pushed himself up. As he did, two gloved hands grabbed his head, and slammed it right back down. Sputtering, Tien found himself pulled back up by the back of his shirt. A forearm shot followed immediately, striking him at the base of his neck. While Tien was still down, the beast kneed him repeatedly in the back.

"**Kyaaa**!" Furious, Tien rolled aside an launched a ki blast at the beast. Caught off guard, the beast was knocked away. It quickly regained its footing, but not before Tien had done the same.

"I thought we had a deal," yelled Tien as he fell into a fighting stance. "We fight where _I_ choose! What happened to the deal?!"

Making no attempt to respond, the beast snarled and charged forward. Tien was forced to block a fury of punches, being driven back in spite of himself. Taking control of the situation, Tien grabbed one of the incoming fists, and held on to it. As the beast's rhythm was thrown off, Tien twisted his whole body around and back-kicked the beast across the field.

Tien landed, panting slightly. "That... He didn't even try to talk! ...Oh, Kami, he's loosing whatever control he had..." Gritting his teeth, Tien took to the air and charged the beast.

The beast, however, was ready from him. From a crouched position, the beast extended its arm at the airborne fighter. "**Hgrreeeaa**!" Tien took the blast full on, and was sent sprawling upwards. The beast pressed his advantage, teleporting above Tien and ax kicking him back to the ground.

Tien landed hard, leaving a crater in the loosely packed soil. Snarling, the beast dove, preparing to ram Tien deeper into the Earth.

"**Dodonpa**!" Having rolled over, Tien pointed his finger and launched a thin streak of ki. Caught up in the battle lust, the beast made no attempt to dodge the attack, and let it strike it in its chest. The ensuing explosion sent the beast spiraling upward.

Fist extended, Tien rushed the beast. Before the beast could reset itself, Tien's fist crashed across its face. Tien's follow through took him past the beast, where he drew back and backhanded it back to the ground.

The beast landed on all fours, snarling furiously. Letting ki gather around its claws, the beast leapt to the air. Flying towards Tien, it threw one of the ki balls. Tien dodged it, only to be struck by the second one. Momentarily stunned, Tien was speared by the beast.

Tien grunted as he was once again driven into the ground. Regaining his breath, he raised his knees to kick the beast off of him. As he did, the beast flipped away of its own accord. Tien jumped back to his feet, only to receive a kick in the back. 

Tien tumbled forward, knowing full well the beast would be ready for him when he got up. To counter this, Tien rolled forward to his feet, and immediately jumped up. Tien flipped backwards, landing behind the beast. The beast whirled around just in time to block Tien's blow. Lunging forward, the beast pressed its own attack, trying to regain the advantage. The fury of the blows drove Tien back, and the beast managed to land an inside kick.

Tien once again rolled to his feet, this time wiping some blood form the corner of his mouth. Though he hated to admit it, he was worried. The surprise of the beast's initial attack had worn off, yet the beast still managed to hold the advantage. Frantically, his mind searched for a pattern behind the beast's attack style, and a strategy that could counter it.

That's when he noticed an energy spike in the distance. An Oozaru energy spike. And a corresponding drop in a Namek ki signature. A dramatic drop. Tien's face fell. "Piccolo!"

Tien's attention was violently brought back to the fight at hand by a strong kick to his gut. With the wind knocked out of him, Tien staggered backwards. The beast wasted no time in pressing the assault, and punched Tien in the face while the human was still falling back. A succession of haymakers kept Tien reeling.

Slightly desperate, Tien let himself loose his footing, and consequently rolled backwards. As Tien kept his backwards momentum, the beast continued its approach to keep pace. Tien flipped backwards again, regaining his balance in the process.

Having gained ground due to Tein's misstep, the beast flew forward, with both arms drawn and ready. As the beast leaned into its punch, Tien grabbed the forward arm, while at the same time swiveling to the side, and grabbing the beast's other arm. Tien lowered his head, and pulled both his arms backward. Before the beast could even register what was happening, it was snapped forward, and its face cracked against the top of Tien's skull.

The beast instantly recoiled backward, screaming, and using both hands to clutch its shattered nose. Knowing the beast would soon recover, Tien leapt forward to finish the job. A roundhouse to the face sent the unsuspecting beast careening across the field.

Tien however, didn't have any chance to crow over his victory. In the distance, Piccolo's signature was just stabilizing, while the Oozaru felt more powerful than before. Growling, Tien took to the air, flying at top speed toward the new battle.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The southern edge of the plains...

"_Gheeaah_!"

Piccolo snarled, once again wrenching at the Saiyan's head. His only reward was another yelp, and a backlash of power washing against him. But this time, the backlash didn't fade after the initial spike. This didn't come as any surprise to Piccolo, who had known he was fighting a loosing battle since the beginning. Not that he wouldn't try anyway.

The Saiyan's energy spiked a second time, driving Piccolo off her. Grunting, Piccolo responded with a swift kick to the girl's head. The blow knocked the girl to the ground. Yet it did nothing to counteract the power flowing into her, which was growing ever greater..

Laying in a shallow crater, the Saiyan pushed herself up. Blinking the dust out of her eyes, she stared at her hands, a look of helplessness etched on her face. "Teah... Corre teah..."

A sudden blow knocked her back down. The next thing the Saiyan saw was a battle-worn, green skinned alien staring down at her, with its hand wrapped around her neck. She let out a single startled gasped before its grip tightened, crushing her windpipe.

"You can't fight if you can't breath," growled Piccolo, glaring at the Saiyan and arguing against the inevitable. The Saiyan stared hopelessly back at him, her hands futily grasping his, and her mouth open in a silent, airless scream. Piccolo's expression only hardened. "So _pass out_ already!"

In a last ditch effort, Piccolo powered up with everything he had. The Saiyan's aura all but vanished against his, and her eyes rolled up.

And glowed red.

A renewed surge of energy washed over Piccolo, tearing through his defenses. Screaming in pain and denial, Piccolo attempted to hold on, only to have his hand begin to burn off. The surge increased, scalding Piccolo, and flinging him towards a nearby mesa. 

As he pushed himself up, Piccolo grunted in exertion. "At least," he gasped out, "I got her... Away from the city. Now we just..." Clutching his burned arm, Piccolo looked up, and his mouth dropped open. "No..."

Unlike Tien, Piccolo had seen an Oozaru before. It had been many years ago, but the sight was still ingrained in his mind. It always would be. But the monster that now stood before him was not like the Oozaru he had seen. It was, ragged, mangy, and just more feral than a regular Oozru. More importantly, it was larger, more powerful, and there was a glint of recognition in its eyes.

Its transformation complete, the Oozaru lifted its arms and roared in rage. Piccolo, as if enthralled, simply watched, frozen in place. The beast's bellowing ceased, and it looked down. As a low rumble escaped its throat, its eye locked onto Piccolo.

Stepping forward, the Oozaru opened its mouth and expelled a large blast of ki. Forced back into action, Piccolo raised his good arm and threw up a ki shield. The shield, however, was almost immediately overrun, and Piccolo was driven back into a rock outcropping.

Grunting, Piccolo struggled to escape the rubble. Throwing aside a boulder that had landed on top of him, Piccolo caught a brief glimpse of the sky. Only a second later, he was again engulfed in ki. The second blast burned away the rubble and drove Piccolo deep into the ground.

Coughing, Piccolo looked up the shaft he was now embedded in. As soon as he did, a shadow crossed over the entrance. "**Hyaaah**!" Raising his arm, Piccolo screamed and launched a preemptive assault.

On the surface, the beast extended its arm, and caught the blast in the palm of its hand. It bared its teeth, and a ball of its own ki began to form in the hand.

Panting in exertion, Piccolo stared at the gathering attack. He was cornered, his own blast had done nothing, and he was in no condition to receive more punishment. And with those thoughts running through his mind, Piccolo grinned.

Throwing himself to the air, Piccolo charged the beast. His movement hadn't even registered in the beast's mind when he slammed into the gathering ki ball. The unfinished attack violently exploded, sending a backlash of ki against the beast. Caught by surprise, the Oozaru staggered backwards. Before he had even recovered himself, Piccolo let loose with a ki blast of his own. This time, the beast was unable to block the blast, and was knocked to the ground.

Scrambling to its feet, the Oozaru roared furiously at Piccolo.

The Namek's response was three simple words. "**Special**. **Beam**." Pulling his fingers away from his forehead, Piccolo coldly took aim. "**Cannon**!"

Roaring, the Oozaru rushed heedlessly forward. But its charge was cut short when the corkscrew blast struck the shoulder of its armor. The beast staggered back a step, trying to fight through the blast. Narrowing its eyes, the beast glared at its attacker. The beast took a forced step forward, and then roared in pain as the blast breached the armor and tore through its shoulder blade.

The shoulder pad of the armor was ripped away, and the Oozaru taken off its feet and sent spinning backwards. Thoroughly spent, Piccolo cut the blast, and let his arm drop to his side. "Now," he muttered, between labored breaths, "to get rid of the tail..."

As if awoken by Piccolo's words, the Oozaru's eyes snapped open. Snarling furiously, it shoved itself to its feet, and charged Piccolo. Muscle mass had already begun reforming around the wound, and the beast seemed completely unaffected by it. For his part, the Namek could only gape in shock before the beast was upon him.

The first blow was a downward strike that drove Piccolo into the ground. In its fury, the beast's second blow fell short, crashing into the ground just in front of the Namek. The ground recoiled, tossing Piccolo back up into the air. Piccolo had the presence of mind to dodge the Oozaru's mouth, but a third sideswipe sent him careening into and through a mesa.

As he came to a halt at the base of a rock formation, Piccolo struggled to focus his eyes. Through a dust filled haze, he could see the Oozaru charging him, running almost on all fours. The beast's eyes were focused solely on him, and it was starting to foam at the mouth. 

Then without warning, the beast gave out a strangled grunt, and stumbled forward, skidding across the valley floor. Pushing himself to a sitting position, Piccolo blinked and tried once again to focus his vision. The beast reared back, only to get batted to the side. Through the dust, Piccolo began to make out a white haze, which began to quickly move towards him.

"_Piccolo_!" Cried out Tien as he skid to a stop. "You okay?!"

Piccolo grunted in acknowledgment. "Nice timing..." Straining, Piccolo stretched out his hand. Grasping it, Tien hauled him out of the rubble.

Tien's eyes widened as he saw the condition of the Namek's other arm. "I repeat, are you all right?"

"Yeah," replied Piccolo as he tried to regain his balance. "Just give me a min--_Look out_!"

Throwing his weight backward, Piccolo pulled Tien and himself back against the rock outcropping. A fraction of a second later, the spot where they had been standing was engulfed in energy.

"Thanks," muttered Tien. "That's what I get for being in a hurry..."

A loud roar filled the air, and the Oozaru's head appeared over the outcropping.

Reacting on impulse, Tien jumped backwards and formed a rounded triangle between his hands. "**Tri--Beam Cannon**!" The blast struck the Oozaru in its face, whipping its head back and throwing it off balance. "**Haaaaahhh**!" Even while he recovered from the first blast's recoil, Tien fired again. The second blast struck lower, and sent the Oozaru careening across the landscape.

"Be careful, Tien!" Ordered Piccolo. "Remember, we can't kill that thing!"

Breathing heavily, Tien looked up out of the corner of his eyes. "Don't worry, Piccolo. If it can survive with that hole in its shoulder, it could survive that..."

Piccolo grunted, and steadied himself against a rock outcropping. "Fair enough. What happened to Yamcha?"

Tien's gaze fell. "I had to leave him..."

"_What_?!"

Tien glanced up sharply. "Look at yourself, Piccolo! You weren't going to last much longer."

"I'll be fine in a minute--"

"It wasn't going to give you a minute," barked back Tien. "Look, we can't afford to loose anyone right now. Not with Vegeta and Gohan both out of the picture. Besides, Yamcha and I were far enough away that he shouldn't be--"

Once again, the two warriors were interrupted by the Oozaru's roar.

"We'll deal with Yamcha later. We know how to take down the Saiyan, so we'll focus on her _first_. Take point," ordered Piccolo. "I'll back you up, in..." His voice trailing off, Piccolo flexed his injured arm, uneasily. "...A little bit..."

An angry roar punctuated Piccolo's statement.

Tien nodded uneasily. "Awright... "

Lightly holding his arm, Piccolo watched s Tien took to the air. Just as Tien cleared the outcropping, a bolt of fire flashed across the sky. Piccolo winced, and looked back up just in time to see a black blur fly above him. Explosions followed only a second later.

"...Not good," he growled to himself. Involuntarily baring his teeth, Piccolo closed his eyes and began powering up. After a moment, his aura peaked, and a green glow enveloped his injured arm. When the glow faded, the burn marks had vanished. Piccolo experimentally clenched his fist a few time, scowled, and teleported away. 

Piccolo reappeared behind the Oozaru's head. Already reared back, Piccolo backhanded the beast before it had even registered his presence. The blow jarred the beast, but nonetheless did not take it off its feet. Roaring, the beast whirled around and batted Piccolo to the ground in retaliation.

"**Huuuaah**!" Given an opening, Tien wasted no time in fighting back. With both arms outstretched, he let out a large, barely focused ki blast. The Oozaru was struck in the chest and driven back a step. However, as soon as the blast faded, the beast stepped back forward, and spit a fireball back at Tien. Tien was unable to avoid it, and was sent sprawling across the canyon.

Wiping the dust from his mouth, Piccolo jumped back to his feet and launched his own blast at the Oozaru. To Piccolo's surprise, the beast disappeared before the blast struck it. The beast reappeared some distance away, and its fists immediately began pummeling the ground below it. It only took Piccolo a moment to realize that the Oozaru had reappeared exactly where Tien had ended up, and a fraction of a second longer to figure out what it was doing.

Piccolo was about to rush to Tien's aid when he realized a third thing. The Oozaru was completely focused on Tien, and had its back towards Piccolo. Scowling, and doing his best to suppress his power, Piccolo put two fingers to his forehead. As the blast finished charging, Piccolo broke his cover darted forward. Aiming straight at the beast's tail, Piccolo thrust out his arm and cut loose.

The Oozaru immediately screamed in pain as the blast struck the base of its tail. However, the blast failed to cut through the tail. Instead, the power from the blast seemed to just convalesce, and then began arcing up the beast's back.

By this point, Piccolo's eye were wide in concern. The Oozaru began convulsing, and the energy form Piccolo's continued attack began discharging around it. The Oozaru struggled to steady itself, then threw back its arms and roared. The beast's aura flared, and energy began climbing back across Piccolo's blast. Before Piccolo could react, the feedback struck him, and explosions ripped across the length of the battlefield.

Coughing, Piccolo found himself scorched, and embedded in a pile of rubble. The entire area was filled with a dust, and Piccolo could vaguely make out sporadic flashes in the distance. As Piccolo pulled himself to his feet, he recognized Tien's signature in the same vicinity as the flashes. Tien's, and the Oozaru's.

"**HYAAAAAAAAH**!!!"

A shockwave ripped across the canyon floor, clearing the dust in its wake. Piccolo looked back towards the fight, and saw the Oozaru stagger forward. Tien yelled again, and everything behind the Oozaru disappeared behind a column of energy. The beast choked out a scream, and fell forward. By the time it hit the ground, it had already reverted to its Saiyan form.

Looking past the fallen Saiyan, Piccolo saw Tien running at full speed toward the Saiyan. "Tien!" Piccolo instinctively called out. "Be careful! I don't know how, but the Saiyan is starting to--"

"I saw what happened," barked back Tien. As he ran, a red glow began forming around his hands. "But I know what I'm doing. She's _not_ waking up again!" Rolling the Saiyan over, Tien grabbed her by the neck. The red glow around his hand pulsed through the Saiyan. 

And then pulsed right back into him. Tien screamed inadvertently. Nonetheless, he kept his grip on the girl, and attempted to reassert the attack. His aura flared violently, and static bolts shot away from him. 

Across the battlefield, Piccolo flinched away from the spectacle. "Tien!" He called out, shading his eyes. "Break off! Break off before--"

Before Piccolo could finish his warning, Tien's scream modulated and was then abruptly cut off. The feedback peaked, causing a massive explosion. Caught at the epicenter, Tien was driven into the heart of a nearby mesa. Further away, Piccolo was driven back a step and forced to shield his face from the debris. By the time he looked back, dust once again covered the canyon floor.

"Tien!" Piccolo called out frantically. "Are you okay?"

And angry roar answered Piccolo's call.

"No... Not again…"

Before Piccolo could react, a giant paw shot out of the dust clouds. The beast hit Piccolo in mid leap, and its momentum drove the Piccolo halfway into the ground. With dust billowing around it, the beast snarled angrily. Caught between the bedrock and the Oozaru's massive paw, Piccolo began struggling to get free. Upon seeing this, the beast seemed to snort, and then reared back its free hand.

"**Geeuuuyaahhh**!" In Desperation, Piccolo violently powered up. The beast recoiled in surprise, allowing Piccolo to escape its grip. Piccolo backpedaled away, and fired a few token blasts at the beast.

Enraged, but unhurt, the Oozaru leapt forward. Yet as it took to the air, so too did Piccolo. The Namek darted forward, and came up under the Oozaru. Grabbing hold of one of the articulations in the armor, Piccolo powered up, and threw all his energy into heaving the beast backwards. Overbalanced by its own momentum, Piccolo's throw sent the Oozaru crashing against a mesa.

"Tien!" Called Piccolo once again. "Wherever you are, get up! And hurry! We can't keep this--" Piccolo's ear twitched as he heard the subsonic roar of a ki surge. Instinctively, he through himself to the ground. A moment after he did, the Oozaru dashed over him.

Snarling, the beast slid to a stop. As quickly as he could Piccolo got back to his feet and into a defensive stance. Taking a few steps back, Piccolo hurriedly scanned the area, hoping to find some sign on Tien.

As if sensing Piccolo was distracted, the beast roared and began its charge. The roar instantly refocused Piccolo's attention. Gathering a ki ball in his hand, he lowered his stance, and prepared to dodge whatever the beast was planning. The beast quickened its pace and began rearing back its arm when something struck it in its back.

The Oozaru jerked forward, nearly loosing its step. Seizing the opportunity, Piccolo jumped to the side and fired off the ki blast he had been charging. The blast struck the beast in the shoulder, further off-balancing it. A third energy blast struck the beast from behind, finally taking it off its feet.

"Good work, Tien!" Congratulated Piccolo, while still keeping his eyes on the beast. "But we still need to--"

Piccolo was interrupted by an energy flare and the shattering of rocks behind him. Piccolo whirled around, and found himself facing a collapsed mesa. In the center of the rubble, a clenched fist, with a battered green and red gauntlet, had punched through a sheet of slate. Piccolo's eyes widened, and the remains of the rock shattered. As Piccolo watched, a coughing and dust covered Tien slowly dragged himself out of the rubble.

"...But..." Frantically, Piccolo glanced at the Oozaru, then back at Tien. "Then who--" Piccolo abruptly broke off as he recognized a nearby energy flare.

At the same time, across the field, the Oozaru pushed itself to its feet. Growling, it turned to face its new attacker.

Even Tien, as he braced himself against a rock outcropping, managed to sense the presence. "No..." He wheezed out. "He wasn't supposed to be here..."

Standing atop a mesa, with one arm stretched forward in an overly dramatic pose, stood a bestial figure clad in white. As the trio watched, its mouth drew back, revealing a fanged smile. "Krayback's a gritch, _gritch_!"

-----------------------------------------------------------


	12. Save Myself

-----------------------------------------------------------

Save Myself

The Thing I Hate

-----------------------------------------------------------

The remains of the Capsule Corpse Lab...

"Watch yourself, Puar," advised Bulma as she picked her way across the rubble. "There was a lot of liquid Nitrogen in that tank when it exploded. There may still be puddles of it down here. And even if there aren't, anything metal is bound to be freezing..."

At the base of the stairway, a large anthropomorphic blue cat looked out apprehensibly. "Uh, then are you sure these gloves will--"

"Those are the same type of gloves we used in Yamcha's suit," Bulma cut it. "Same with the boots. Just watch where you step and you'll be fine."

Puar looked at Bulma with watery eyes. "But... Yamcha..."

Bulma exhaled loudly. "I know. I know..." Turning back, Bulma ran a gloved hand through her hair. "But that's not our... There's nothing..." Bulma broke off, realizing there was nothing comforting she could really say about the situation. "Look, just see what's left of the computer terminal. If we can salvage anything from that, we might be able to help him..."

After a moment, Puar nodded and began picking her way through the lab. "Okay..." Her voice wavered, obviously not convinced.

Letting her breath out through her teeth, Bulma turned back to her own task. From the outside of the building, she and her parents had watched Tien, Yamcha, and Piccolo leave the compound. And Bulma's father swore that Piccolo hand been carrying someone when he left. But that still left one person unaccounted for.

"Dende!" Cried Bulma, as she spotted a patch of green amongst the shadows. Bulma darted forward, and soon found herself at the young Namek's side. Dende was still on his side, doubled over and barely conscious. Additionally, there were small icicles beginning to form at the tips of his ears.

Crouching down, Bulma gingerly wiped some frost away from his eyes. "Dende," she quietly asked, "are you okay?"

Dende shuffled a little and moaned.

"I'll take that as a no." Bulma tightened her gloves in preparation. "Come on then, lets get you out of here…" Being as gentle as she could, Bulma picked up the Namek. After spending a moment adjusting her balance, she began picking her way back to the stairs. "Whuuuh…" She mumbled to herself, "Dende, you are definitely not a kid anymore…"

As she approached the stairs, Bulma took a moment to lean against the wall and regain her breath. "Hey Puar," she called out, "any luck getting that console back on-line?"

The cat looked back at Bulma with a confused expression on her face. "Uh, I guess. It was on when I came down…"

Bulma nearly dropped Dende. "What?! You mean you can still access all the files?"

Still apprehensive, Puar shrunk back a step.. "I think that's what I'm doing… Is that bad?"

"Bad? Heck _no_!" Bulma almost laughed. "That's the best news we've gotten since this whole mess started! I had figured that everything down here had been completely wrecked. That we'd only be able to salvage bits and pieces of thing. But if we still have all the readings… It's about time we caught a break around here!"

"But… If Yamcha is still… Gone…"

The delirious smile faded from Bulma's face. "Yeah…" Shifting her grip on Dende, Bulma began walking to the stairs with renewed determination. "Yeah, there's still that. But with those readings, we have a chance at striking back at the virus. And, well… A snowball's chance is better than no chance. Now come on and help me get Dende upstairs…"

-----------------------------------------------------------

High noon, in the desert mountains…

"…Grow does it feel?" With a haunting note in its voice, the beast that was once Yamcha walked slowly out of a column of smoke. The beast was now even more feral than before. What looked like three-day stubble had grown all over its face, and its nose had collapsed into something resembling a snout. And yet, the glint in its eyes was back.

Roaring in anger, the Oozaru spat another fireball at the approaching beast.

Without breaking stride, and almost without effort, the beast raised its arm and deflected the blast away. "Grow does it feel to groved aside? …To be krohsolete? ….To be _krothing_?!" With this last question, the beast took to the air. It charged like a blur, and the Oozaru was knocked back into a mesa. "_Huh?! Grow does it feel_?!"

The Oozaru slowly rose back to its feet. Shakily, it used one arm to support itself against the mesa. Its other arm was clutching its chest. The Oozaru no longer growled, and instead glared apprehensibly at its attacker.

"'Kause that's grut you are," continued the beast, now hovering where it had rammed the Oozaru. "Krothing. Grust dust klowing in the grind…"

The Oozaru charged in retaliation. As it ran, it roared furiously, and the glint in its eyes seemed to intensify.

"Ghou don't think so?" Mocked the beast, holding its ground.

A second later, the Oozaru lunged forward, swinging at its opponent. The beast, however, easily dodged the attacks.

"Ghov gourse you don't…" It continued. "You're a _Sayghan_! The most growerful race in the galaxy. The only race that matters!" 

The beast dodged a flurry of blows, seemingly standing still while doing so. Infuriated by its failure, the Oozaru backed off for a second, then threw everything into a single haymaker punch. In a flurry of savageness, the beast slapped the fist aside, sending the Oozaru with it.

"_Grullshit_!" Snarled the beast. "You don't know _anything_ about grower! About the gheart and effort that goes into it! You've never had to gry! You grust transform. Akain, and akain, and akain... Gou're practically bon transformed. You've never fought anyone on level ground...

"I've been fighting you're kind gror as long as I could fight. In all that time, I've never seen gou meet an equal..." The beast's face abruptly darkened. And as it watched the Oozaru start to back away, its voice dropped an octave. "Meet one now..."

-----------------------------------------------------------

The shattered remains of a mesa...

Still struggling to stand upright, Tien stared at the scene in abject horror. "This... This _can't_ be _happening_!"

"It can Tien," replied Piccolo, with a hollow ring in his voice. "Remember what Vegeta said. The virus is boosting his--"

"Will you shut up about what Vegeta said?! Vegeta doesn't know what he's talking about!" Heaving after his outburst, Tien slouched against a rock. "And that wasn't was _I_ was talking about..."

With an uncertain scowl on his face, Piccolo glanced at the two combatants, then back to Tien.

"When I was fighting Yamcha," continued Tien, much more quietly, "he lost control. He was talking to us back at the lab. He's talking right now. But when he was fighting me, he didn't say a word. It was like he snapped. Like the last bit of him just winked out..."

Piccolo stared at the fighters, with a faraway look in his eyes. "But now it's back..."

Tien shook his head, nearly loosing his balance while doing so. "No. It can't 'ave... And this..." Tien's voice momentarily gave out. "Yamcha was berserk before. But this... I've never seen him this... _Furious_. Ever. Not even at Vegeta..."

Piccolo stared in silence for a moment. "I don't think he could."

Tien weakly hung his head.

"The Yamcha we knew," continued Piccolo, "spent the better part of a decade desperately training for conflicts he couldn't possibly win. Conflicts that he knew--with dead certainty--would kill him. Those fights changed him. A lot more than they did us. Somewhere along the line, whether he knew it or not... Yamcha let himself go numb." After a pause, Piccolo grunted. "But the virus turned him loose. Like Vegeta said, it's riding his emotions. Letting loose the pain, the anger, the fury..."

"At the Saiyans," finished Tien, still not raising his eyes. "...He was fighting it, then. When he snapped. He was reigning in the grudge. And when he stopped wanting to fight, the virus took over completely..." Tien finally looked up. "But Yamcha's never forgiven the Saiyans. Not in his heart. So he saw one, all the rage came back. And the virus let him take control again."

"You've known him longer than I have," Piccolo gruffly stated. "Will he revert? Will he even try to hold back?"

Tien remained silent for a long moment. "If it was just about being killed... Even with the androids, and Cell... If it were just those years of helplessness, he would." Tien swallowed. "But he lost Bulma to a Saiyan. Every time he looks at that poor girl, he's seeing Vegeta. And he's thinking about Bulma..." Tien swallowed again, continuing in a mere whisper. "He won't hold back. He won't hold _anything_ back..."

Piccolo's scowl hardened as he took in the battle.

"Yamcha's attention isn't going anywhere," commented Tien. "He won't let up until he or the Saiyan is dead... One of us should go back to Bulma's place. To make sure they're all right. While we still have time..."

There was a blue flash of light, and an ensuing explosion shook the field.

"We _don't_ have time!"

By the time Tien looked up, Piccolo had already begun racing towards the fight. A split second and one realization later, so had Tien.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The fighting grounds...

"Go grahead," mocked the beast, floating in mid air. "Kfhight back. Krust _try_ it!"

Grunting, the Oozaru began to push itself off the ground. But its arms gave out, and it collapsed back down.

The beast's expression contorted in anger. "Get huu--_uuup_!" After a second, the beast snarled dove at its prone opponent.

In a burst of movement, the Oozaru rolled onto its side. The beast rammed into the ground, and was driven in further as the Oozaru dropped an elbow on it. With a renewed burst of energy, the Oozaru rolled again, and began hammering the beast with its fist. The Oozaru punctuated each blow with an angry roar.

After a moment, though, the beast retaliated. Spiking its aura just as the Oozaru's fist struck, it sent the giant sprawling aside. Breathing heavily, the beast rose into the air. Its last spurt of energy spent, the Oozaru lay still on the ground, clutching its fist.

As it wiped some dust from its brow, a smile came over the beast's face. "Now... Khat's the kfighting spirit I wanted to see! The kind I hexpeked..." The smile faded, and the beast's voice lost its edge. "The kind your deserve... Kafter all... You're a_ Sayghan_... You deserve to go out..." Letting its voice drop to a whisper, the beast coldly extended its arm, and aimed its open palm at the Oozaru. "...With a **bang**..."

A blue light flashed, and condensed just beyond the beast's palm. Like a bullet from a gun, the blast shot across the field and through the Oozaru's leg. Its howl of pain was lost in the ensuing explosion.

The beast raised its chin indifferently and silently waited for the dust to clear. When the Oozaru's silhouette became visible, the beast coldly readjusted its aim. There was another flash of blue light, and then a green blur knocked the taste out of its mouth. A second later, something rammed the beast in the back. The beast recoiled forward, straight into a haymaker from Piccolo.

The blow knocked the beast to the side, where it got a chance to see its attackers. Tien and Piccolo, hovering in the sky, were both powered up and readying their next attacks. Snarling, the beast threw out both of his arms, flattened palms at each of his attackers. Twin blue flashes lit the sky.

"**Huuyyy**--_yaaaakkkk_!" A seizure convulsed the beast, as if triggered by its attack. For a fraction of a second, it spasmed in mid air. Then, as suddenly as it started, the convulsions ceased, and the beast raced towards its two attackers. As it did, foam began flying form its mouth, and a hollow blackness filled its eyes.

"**Kiaaaaahhhh**!" A ki blast from Piccolo sent the beast spiraling to the ground.

"I'd say Yamcha just snapped," muttered Tien as he fired a follow up blast.

Halfway down, the beast regained its senses and dodged the second shot. Snarling, it flew upwards again.

"Safe bet." Piccolo dove to meet the beast.

In one smooth motion, the beast jerked to the side and grabbed Piccolo's arm as he passed by. A yank and a cuff to the back of the head sent Piccolo careening downward, while the beast spun around and continued its ascent.

Having expected the beast to have engaged Piccolo, Tien was unprepared to dodge the attack. The beast rammed Tien, catching him by the neck in the process. Still careening upward, the beast gathered a ki ball and fired it at point blank. The recoil of the blast violently ripped Tien from the beast's grip. After a quick teleport, the beast backhanded Tien back to the ground.

Another teleport brought the beast to the ground, next to where Piccolo had just crashed. Piccolo struggled to get up, and the beast immediately attacked. Letting battle instincts guide him, Piccolo dropped back to the ground and kicked the beast over him. Piccolo instantly jumped back to his feet and rushed the beast. But his lead blow was blocked and the beast savagely swatted him to the side.

Piccolo skid to a stop, and glared back at the beast. Already, it was flying across the ground to meet him. "So," Piccolo, muttered to himself, "back to this old dance..."

With a final burst of speed, the beast lunged at Piccolo. The beast brought his fists down in a an ax-handle smash, but his blow went through a blur and crushed the rocks below him. Snarling, the beast looked to the side, and saw Piccolo crouched in a defensive stance. The beast leapt again. But a roundhouse to the back of its head sent him spinning aside.

The beast pushed itself up to its knees, and let out a hiss of annoyance. As it looked up, its hiss ended with a start.

"I've always hated dances," commented Piccolo, standing tall. Behind him, a second Piccolo stood out of his crouch.

"Or any social event, really." Both Piccolos smirked mockingly.

The beast's eyes darted between the two Nameks, and then narrowed. A glow growl escaped its throat, and it leapt forward.

The lead Piccolo blocked the first blow with an open fist, and yanked the beast past him. Without missing a beat, the beast rushed toward the second Piccolo. Piccolo let loose a defensive blast, which the beast blew through. A forearm chop landed on Piccolo's shoulder, driving him down. The beast quickly pinned Piccolo to the ground, and began rapidly punching him in the head.

Abruptly, the first Piccolo grabbed the beast's arm, and jarred it backward. The beast snarled in pain as it was pulled off its opponent. Piccolo thrust the arm forward, securing the hammer lock. The beast's face tightened in pain.

"This could have waited," yelled the second Piccolo, pushing himself off the ground. "But you _just had_ to go for blood!" Piccolo punctuated his statement with a hard knee to the beast's chest.

The beast doubled forward, its face frozen in a moment of pain.

With a snarl, Piccolo drew back and chopped the beast's head to the side. The second Piccolo followed up by yanking back on the beast's arm, and torquing up the hold.

The twin blows jarred the beast back into action. It violently threw back its head, bashing Piccolo in the face. As the second Piccolo tried to react, the beast kicked out with both feet, knocking him away. The beast finished the sequence by whirling around and driving its free elbow into Piccolo's head. The blow staggered Piccolo, forcing him to finally break the hold.

The second Piccolo was just recovering when the beast rushed him and kneed him in the gut. Piccolo doubled over in pain, and then an ax-handle smash to the back sent him to the ground.

Enraged, the first Piccolo charged. The beast smoothly grabbed Piccolo's outstretched hand and jerked him forward. The beast swung his other arm at Piccolo's head, but missed as Piccolo ducked under it. Piccolo was stopped short by another jerk at his arm. Snarling, the beast readjusted his arm, and viciously elbowed the back of Piccolo's head. Finally letting go of Piccolo's arm, the beast did a quick spin and kicked Piccolo to the ground.

Piccolo landed on top of his doppelganger with a grunt. Before either of them could react, the beast teleported above them. It barked out something indiscernible, and let out a ki blast. As the blast struck, the edges of both Piccolos blurred, and the two were forcibly merged.

The beast landed on all fours at Piccolo's side. Snarling, it rolled the prone Namek over and drew back a half clenched fist.

Abruptly, a laser-thin beam of energy sliced through the space between the beast and Piccolo. The beast pulled back just as a second beam pierced what would have been his head. Snarling, the beast turned to the side, and found itself staring down a very angry Tien. A ki ball gathered around the beast's fists as it reset its stance.

Before it could attack, though, a roundhouse from Piccolo knocked it face first to the ground. Tien followed up with a concentrated ki blast, who's backlash threw the beast back into the air. Piccolo grabbed one the beast's flailing arms and threw it against a nearby rock outcropping.

Recovering in midair, the beast hit the rock on all fours, and instantly rebound back towards its attackers. Not fully recovered from his earlier beating, Piccolo was knocked aside before he could react. The beast's follow through took it straight into Tien. Tien blocked the initial forearm strike, but the ensuing shops drove him steadily back.

Desperately, Tien tried to counterattack. But a bungled lunge left him off balance, and the beast easily tossed him over its shoulder. Tien landed on his back but quickly bounced to his feet. The beast moved to press its assault, but stopped short when it noticed Piccolo struggling to his feet not too far from Tien.

"Y'know..." Muttered Tien as he rubbed his shoulder. "It would have been nice if Yamcha had lost his _experience_ along with the rest of his personality..."

Piccolo grunted. "Seeing as how most of that experience came directly against _you_... On my mark, break skyside. I'll attack frontal. The moment you see an opening...

Piccolo quietly trailed off, noticing the beast begin to step backwards. An unhinged smile came across its face, and it seemed to stand down. Piccolo's ear twitched. Tien swore. 

"...Or not. _Break for it_!"

Both Tien and Piccolo dove to the side as a fireball engulfed the battle ground.

Snarling, the beast emerged from the fireball, with ki balls already forming around its hands. It was greeted by a roar that literally shook the Earth. Before the beast could reset itself for its attack, a fist sideswiped it and knocked it out of the sky. Letting out a subsonic growl, the Oozaru turned its attention to the two fighters still on the ground.

"Aim low!" Yelled Tien. In conjunction, he and Piccolo fired blasts at the Oozaru's shins. The blows took out the Oozaru's balance, and it fell down to its knees.

Before the Oozaru could react, an energy spike flared behind it. There was a flash of light, and the Oozaru went limp and fell forward. Tien and Piccolo both took to the air to avoid being smashed.

"Take Yamcha!" Commanded Tien. "We at least know _how_ to deal with the Saiyan, so we'll concentrate--"

Tien didn't have time to finish his order. Without missing a beat, the Oozaru had shoved itself back off the ground. It whirled back to face the beast, instinctively taking a swipe at Tien in the process. Caught unawares, the Human had no chance to avoid the blow. Tien landed in the remains of a mesa, sending up a plume of dust.

"Tien!" Before Piccolo could do anything else, the beast fired a massive ki blast at the Oozaru. The Oozaru threw up a shield, letting the blast splash off it. After taking the brunt of the blast, the Oozaru surged forward, angling its shield to the side. Piccolo was engulfed by the redirected blast, and was battered to the ground.

"_Heeeh_-**yaaaahh**!" With his aura cackling around him, Tien streaked through the air. A missile kick struck the beast in its back, sending it careening into the Oozaru. The Oozaru was knocked back by the collision, while the beast ricocheted to the ground. Rolling to its feet, it snarled and fired a pair of blasts towards Tien.

In midair, Tien swiveled to avoid the blasts. The first one went by him, but the second changed course and struck a glancing hit. Tien quickly righted himself, and turned to face his opponent. The beast was already in flight, and charging him. But behind him there was nothing but fire.

"**Dodonpa**!" A lance of ki streaked away from Tien's outstretched arm. The beast instinctively cut his speed and veered to avoid the blast. Before it could speed up again, the fireball caught up to it. Howling, the beast lost control of itself and was carried along the surface of the shockwave.

Tien hastily though up a ki shield, and was buffeted by the fireball a second later. The shield held for a moment, then gave out. Grunting in pain, Tien was blasted backward.

The fireball quickly dissipated, leaving the beast panting heavily in midair. Too late, it noticed that Tien had also been carried by the tail of the blast, and that he hadn't stopped when the blast did. Lunging forward, Tien caught the beast by its leg. A sharp twist of its ankle kept the beast from immediately lashing out, and quick midair spin sent the beast hurling to the ground.

The beast landed back first on a slab of exposed bedrock, and bounced slightly back up. Before it could bounce a second time, the landscape was covered by another ki blast from the Oozaru.

Holding his position in the air, Tien scanned the smoke and waited for the beast to reappear. It didn't. Instead, a flurry of small ki blasts shot up into the sky. Still winded, Tien was unable to avoid them all, and a good number exploded against him.

Across the field, the Oozaru roared in pain. As the last of the explosions died away, Tien looked up just in time to see the Oozaru start swatting at something. A moment later there was an energy spike, and the Oozaru was blasted to the side. 

Instinctively, Tien dropped into a defensive stance, figuring the beast would come after him rather than press the Oozaru. He was right, and it rushed him only a second later. But this time, the beast over choreographed its attack, and Tien had plenty of time to counter it. Before the beast could reach him, Tien teleported forward and landed a uppercut to the beast's gut. The blow stopped the beast dead in the air, and a series of follow up kicks sent it reeling back towards the Oozaru.

After a moment, the beast was able to kick Tien away and regain its composure. Breathing heavily, it began floating away from Tien in a defensive posture. Tien followed at a distance, keeping both hands in front of his face.

"Come on, Yamcha," beckoned Tien, "one on one... Head to head. Lets see who blinks first..." Slowly, Tien readjusted his hands into a triangle emblem aimed at the beast.

A low growl escaped the beast's throat, and it cautiously extended one half clenched fist. After a moment's hesitation, its ear twitched, and then its face hardened in determination. Its growl intensified, and a ki blast began to gather around its fist.

Before either of the combatants could fire, a deafening roar shook the landscape. The roar was accompanied by a massive power spike and a ki blast aimed directly at the beast and Tien.

Having seen the Oozaru recovering, the beast whirled to the side as the blast streaked by him. As it spun, it fired off the blast it had been charging, adding it to the barrage.

"**Tri--Beam--**"

The beast choked, realizing to late that its prey was not where it should have been. It spun around just in time to see Tien mouth out the last word.

"**Cannon--**" Lights flicked for a moment, before completely obscuring Tien from view, "**HAAAAAHH!!**"

Completely engulfed, the beast screamed in pain. The force of Tien's attack sent him flying backwards, and a second wave actually kicked him back through the Oozaru's blast. A third wave buffeted the beast, dissipating the last of the Oozaru's attack.

The beast screamed again, but this time in defiance. Its power level skyrocketed, and its aura convalesced into a wedge in the center of Tien's attack. With its whole body trembling under the strain, the beast lowered its head and pushed forward. Fully intent on Tien, it never saw what hit him.

"**Maaaa--SENKO**!"

Piccolo's supercharged attack dropped on the beast like a sledgehammer. The beast's aura collapsed under the blow, and the beast instantly went limp. Just as it did, it was hit by the fourth wave of Tien's attack, and driven into a distant mesa.

Breathing heavily, Tien lowered his arms. "You don't think that killed him, did it?" He called out.

Piccolo grunted. "If it did, we'll all know soon en--_look out_!"

Tien tried to turn around, but a backhand from the Oozaru drove him to the ground. The Oozaru took a step forward and threw a ki ball at Piccolo. Before it could attack again, small explosions went off around its face. As it tried to brush them aside, Tien quickly backpedaled to Piccolo's location. The Oozaru looked back up, and roared in anger.

"The same place!" Heaved Tien. "All that--and we're in the _same damn place_!"

"Not entirely," corrected Piccolo. "This time we're both hurt, and she's not."

"Oooooh, _thank you_!" Snarled Tien, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "If you're going to be smart, at least tell me you have some sort of plan."

Both Tien and Piccolo dove to avoid a ki blast.

"You know a split form," Piccolo gruffly responded. "She can't hit everything at once. With enough of us, we could overwhelm her."

"No," cut in Tien, calmly this time. "You're only at partial strength in split form. Same with me. We wouldn't even scratch her."

Piccolo grunted. "In tandem, then?"

"Worth a shot..."

As the Oozaru began charging forward, the two warriors simultaneously disappeared. They reappeared in front of the Oozaru and blasted it in the chest. The Oozaru was knocked backward before it even realized what had happened.

"You've fought these things more than I have," began Tien, "can they be taken out _without_ cutting off their tail?"

With Tien slightly behind him, Piccolo dove forward. "I was never able to bludgeon Gohan into submission. It probably won't work here, either."

Piccolo struck a glancing blow on the kneeling Oozaru's shoulder. As it recoiled back, Tien took a swipe at the other shoulder. Tien pulled a quick U-turn and joined Piccolo in a tandem kick to the back of the Oozaru's head. The Oozaru fell face first into the ground, but instantly rolled to the side. Roaring, it let out twin bursts of ki at its attackers. Both Tien and Piccolo were driven back by the attacks.

Wiping dust from his mouth, Tien grunted. "Okay, question two. If we just de-tail it, how long with that thing be down?"

Piccolo exhaled. "Not long. Maybe long enough for one of us to get to Capsule Corps and back, but not much longer. Definitely not long enough for us to put her back in any kind of stasis."

"That's assuming there's anything left at Capsule Corps..." Muttered Tien.

Piccolo fired a quick blast at the Oozaru, than darted to the side. Tien followed suit with a slightly stronger blast.

"That trick you pulled earlier," began Piccolo, keeping his eyes on the Oozaru. "The one that backfired. There any chance that might actually work again?"

Starting to circle the Oozaru, Tien fired off another blast. "_A_ chance."

Piccolo snorted. "We may have to try it anyway."

"S'okay," muttered Tien, "that's what I was planning on. After all, who want's to outlive their home planet..."

Piccolo was about to respond when a fresh salvo from the Oozaru forced the two to separate. A second salvo knocked Tien higher into the sky. He quickly stabilized himself, and fired a return blast. The Oozaru shifted to block the blast, and was knocked aside as Piccolo rammed it. Piccolo moved upwards to regroup, but was swatted by a flick of the Oozaru's tail. 

"**Taa--haaa**!!" Tien fired off a quick blast, hoping for a lucky hit on the exposed tail. However, the Oozaru was already pushing itself up, and the blast struck its hip. Doubled up and roaring, the Oozaru fell back to the ground.

"Hit her again!" Order Piccolo as he jumped back to the air. "Same spot!" Piccolo punctuated his order by throwing a handful of shuriken style ki darts.

Complying, Tien streaked over the writhing Oozaru and fired off a few blasts. "New strategy?"

Piccolo fired another blast and quickly advanced. "Not really. Just beat her down until we get a clear shot at the her tail. Then we just hope for the best."

"Will--_wyaaah_!"

Still clutching its hip with one arm, the Oozaru angrily reared up. Its free arm slashed through the air, only just missing Tien. Before Tien could dodge again, the Oozaru spat a fireball at him. Tien was unable to avoid the blast and was sent sprawling.

"Tien!"

The Oozaru spun to face Piccolo, spitting an arc of fire across the sky. Cutting himself short, Piccolo through up a ki shield. As soon as the fireball began dissipating, Piccolo let his aura spike and threw the ki shield at his attacker. The Oozaru simply ducked to the side, and was advancing instantly. Startled by the fact that he had missed, Piccolo darted upwards too late. Before he could get out of range, the Oozaru swung both arms forward, catching Piccolo's leg between its hand and its forearm.

Piccolo screamed in pain, spiking is energy at the same time. Roaring in anger, the Oozaru jerked back. But then its face quickly hardened and it viciously slapped Piccolo to the ground.

Groaning and clutching his leg, Piccolo looked up. The Oozaru was towering over him, looking down menacingly. 

Abruptly, a blast ricocheted off the Oozaru's armor. "...Back. Off..." The Oozaru slowly turned to the side, and saw Tien hovering in the air, with one arm extended menacingly. "So much for tandem," the Human muttered. "You still in it, Piccolo?"

While the Oozaru was focused on Tien, Piccolo quietly took to the air. "Felt worse than it actually was," he replied gravely. Upon hearing him, the Oozaru stepped back defensively, keeping its eyes on both fighters. "And fighting in tandem is still our best bet. Better than being batted aside one by one."

The Oozaru growled menacingly as the it glanced between the two fighters.

A long, deep howl broke the silence.

Tien looked up. "...The hell?"

A second howl followed, loud enough to shake the landscape.

Uncertain of itself, the Oozaru glanced about nervously. It took a few more steps back, then threw up its head and roared in defiance.

As he desperately tried to cover his ears, Piccolo looked past the Oozaru. As he did, his eyes widened in horror. "_Tien, hit the dirt_!" Even as he yelled this, Piccolo dove behind a battered rock outcropping.

Tien was backpedaling furiously when a giant brown blur rushed by him. Something struck the Oozaru, and the ensuing rush off air threw Tien off balance. As the ringing in his head faded, Tien righted himself, and looked back down at the battlefield.

"...No..."

The Oozaru was locked in combat. With a wolf. A giant, anthropomorphic, wolf. Somewhere around forty feet tall, with a brownish-red coat, and a mutated, but all too familiar energy signature.

Tien tried to clear his eyes, praying what he saw was just a pain induced hallucination. "Ya... This... This can't be happening..."

Breathing hard, Piccolo floated next to the bewildered Human. "We have to get to Capsule Corps," he said gravely. Though Piccolo was more composed, he was no less stunned. "We have to tell them what's happening. We have to get... _Some_ to way to fight this. While we still have a chance..."

Tien was unable to voice a response. For a moment, neither he nor Piccolo moved, both transfixed by the sight of the monster that had once been their comrade...

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	13. The Game

__

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The Game

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The front range of the desert mountains, an hour later...

"This isn't right..."

Piccolo lightly touched down on the slope of a caved in mesa. Glancing to side, he spotted Tien crouched in the shadow of a rock outcropping. Following Tien's gaze, Piccolo saw the Oozaru and the giant wolf that used to be Yamcha still locked in combat. "Looking past the obvious..." Piccolo prompted.

Tien responded quietly, his gaze never leaving the combatants. "They're fighting with a rhythm. There's almost a pattern to them. ...Neither of them is going for blood anymore."

Piccolo grunted, returning his gaze to the fight. "They've already felt each other out. They're too evenly matched to go all out. So they're going in a holding pattern, trying to wear the other down. Waiting for one of them to make a mistake." Piccolo paused for a moment. "Classic strategy."

"No. Not this time." Tien's voice was slightly above a whisper. "Yamcha was mopping the floor with us. With this kind of power up, the fight shouldn't have lasted more than five minutes. He's holding back..."

"I don't think so. Yamcha was most dangerous when _he_ was in control. When the virus took over--"

"He still made short work of us."

Piccolo glanced down at Tien. The Human's temper was beginning to slip. "Not as much as he could have. Not as much as he _should_ have, given his power level at the time. When Yamcha was in control, he knew what he was doing. He really was the fighter we knew..." Piccolo paused, looking back at the clashing titans. "But under the virus, he was just reacting. He still remembered us, and maybe knew what was coming, but he never really took advantage of that. He never nailed us the way he should have."

Tien sighed, wearily. "What are you getting at, Piccolo?"

"That Yamcha is being dumbed down. With each power up, he's loosing competence. He's relying more on power and shear brutality, and less on his own skill. With this last power up, he's lost the last remnant of his physical humanity. There's no telling what that did to his mind."

Tien was quiet for a long moment. "You may have a point. But Yamcha should still be pounding that girl. Systematically or just viciously..." Tien shook his head and leaned back against the rock outcropping. His eyes dropped, and weariness crept back into his voice. "So what's the word from Capsule Corps?"

"Surprisingly good. No casualties, and they think they have a lead on fighting the virus."

"How?" Tien deadpanned.

Piccolo grunted. "Apparently, Yamcha was performing some test when he first lost it--I didn't ask, I didn't care--but they still managed to get the information from that test. Bulma's father has been looking over the results of the test, and has figured out just _how_ the virus controls its victims. He says he's isolated the neural-chemical impulse the virus uses, and that he thinks he knows how to block it. By blocking the signal, we can effectively cut the control of the virus, even if viruses themselves are still active."

"In English, Piccolo."

"Like I said, I don't know, I don't care."

Tien snorted, mildly amused. "So how do we go about stopping these neural-whatevers?"

"Bulma's father is working on a drug. Some kind of chemical neutralizer."

Tien looked up at Piccolo, suspiciously. "I'll assume that's a fancy word for a sedative. How much of this stuff do we need?"

Piccolo's face hardened. "For someone our size, a 'complete saturation' would take at least twenty grams."

Tien was silent for a long moment. "How much does the Doc have right now?"

"A couple hundred 'CCs.'"

Tien went quiet again. "That's not twenty grams, is it?"

"My impression was that it was nowhere _near_ twenty grams."

Silence reigned for a moment. "You did tell him about Yamcha, right?"

"Yes."

"...And for someone _his_ size?"

"A factor in the thousands."

Tien's head dropped. "He probably has to mix the stuff himself, doesn't he... How long 'till he has enough?"

Piccolo folded his arms. "Two weeks. Give or take."

Tien looked up, and stared at the Namek for a long moment. "Piccolo, if this ends with all of us wandering along Snake Way, you and I are going to have a _long_ discussion about the term 'surprisingly good.'"

"We have a plan," responded Piccolo, in a level voice. "That's more than we have during most of these crises."

Tien sighed and let his head drop into his arms. For his part, Piccolo stepped up and crouched on a highpoint on the slope.

"Tien," Piccolo quietly began. "Why a wolf? What's the connection? We already knew that Saiyan can go Oozaru, but..." Piccolo looked back at Tien. "I didn't think humans had _any_ transformations."

Tien responded with a long sigh, but he did meet Piccolo's gaze. "We don't. If we did, _one _of us would have found it by now. And not to sound like Vegeta, but it probably would have been me..."

"But even just legends..." Piccolo's voice broke off. "Hearsay, myths, anything! Bulma's mother said something about a 'werewolf...'"

"Legends, hearsay, and myths," Tien sternly responded. "Not real. Not even close to real. And that," Tien pointed to the dueling titans, "is not even close to any of the myths."

Piccolo exhaled loudly, and turned his gaze back to the fight. "No de-tailing this time... So any ideas on how we get Yamcha back to normal."

"A Couple thousand grams of whatever the Bulma's father is cooking up. The Dragonballs..." Tien snorted "...Rebuilding him as a cyborg... Nothing currently feasible."

"So we have no idea why he's a wolf?"

"No, but Yamcha never really said much about his past. Could be part of his heritage. Or some curse. Or..." Tien went silent as he gazed across the landscape for a moment. "When I first met Yamcha, he was still something of a rebel. A 'lone wolf warrior,' he sometimes called it. It was how he carried himself. It was how he defined himself... Later... When he became less of a threat individually... Before the Saiyans, when we were all training together... He switched mentalities. To him, we were all part of the _pack_."

Piccolo looked back. "You think his mindset is the connection?"

"Could be. It was more than a mindset for him. It was his whole mental image. It was how he _defined_ himself." Tien sighed, looking back down. "Maybe it still is. And now he's possessed. And mutating. So the virus could just be changing his body to fit the mind..."

"...And the situation," continued Piccolo, thinking hard. "The Saiyan began changing once we started hitting her tail too much. She evolved, getting rid of the weak point. Yamcha was faced with a giant. So once he got a chance, he evolved to meet that challenge..."

Tien weakly nodded. "Makes sense. Scary as hell, but it..." Tien trailed off, sensing a change in the fight.

Tien stood up, and Piccolo slowly turned to face the two titans. "...The hell does he think he's doing..." 

-----------------------------------------------------------

The Southern edge of the mountains... 

"Yes," a sarcastic voice began, "I'd say that is definitely the 'disturbance' you sensed..."

Standing at the base of a rock outcropping, Eighteen gazed forward, utterly stunned. "What... _Are_ those things?"

Krillin cracked his knuckles hesitantly. He had thrown on his fighting shoes and a gi top only fifteen minutes earlier, and was still trying to steel himself for the fight. The fact that his wife sounded nervous wasn't helping him any. "I've got no idea what the small one is. But the large one's an Oozaru."

Eighteen continued staring, completely ignoring her blowing hair. "That thing does not match up with my file on Oozarus."

Krillin stepped up beside his cybernetic wife. "It doesn't look like the ones I've seen either, Honey. But I _know_ it's one of them..."

"Which, if true, would beg a second question. 'Who is it?' Gohan? Vegeta? Perhaps one of the newer half-breeds." Krillin looked up at the top of the outcropping, where his brother-in-law was standing. Seventeen's somewhat baggy clothes were flapping in the wind, and his posture seemed almost nonchalant. "And as long as we're speculating, it could just as easily be some _new_ Saiyan."

"Probably that," muttered Krillin, still unnerved. "Which means the wolf thing could be its sparring partner. Making it _another_ alien. Just what the planet needed..."

Seventeen began chuckling. "Hey, Eighteen, ten zenni says the Saiyan is Vegeta's long-lost sister."

"Would you be serious?!" Eighteen snapped. "This is important." Eighteen sighed, and turned to Krillin. "Don't mind him..."

"...I'm tryin' not to..." Krillin sighed and pulled on a wristband. "Okay, they're still focused on each other. We'd better take 'em down now, while we can still surprise them. You two sure there's no one else around?"

"I can't see anyone," coldly supplied Eighteen.

"Nothing in the vis spectrum," came Seventeen's cocky response. "Nothing definite in infrared. Ultraviolet and below is too screwed up to make out _anything_."

"And no ki around, either." Krillin shook his head. "Well, we can't wait for anyone else to get here. Those two might stop fighting each other, or they might get to close to a city."

Seventeen chuckled in anticipation.

"I'll take the Saiyan," Krillin commanded. "Shouldn't be _too_ hard to take it down. Eighteen, you and your brother double team the wolf. Don't _try_ to kill it--we might be able to reason with them." Krillin broke off with a sigh. "...Maybe. But don't pull your punches either."

"S'alright. But are you sure you don't want _us_ to do the fighting, while you just stand back here and gape?" 

Seventeen's smirk withered under Eighteen's harsh glare. Krillin continued to look forward, refusing to acknowledge the remark.

"Or not," Seventeen meekly finished.

"Go in quiet," Krillin continued. "We don't want them to notice us until we're right on top of them. C'mon!" With that, the lone Human and the two Androids took to the air.

With Krillin in the lead, the trio sped close to the ground, trying to keep as low a profile as possible. Only a couple hundred yards away from the fighters, Krillin topped a Mesa and accelerated to an attack speed.

He hadn't even held his course for a second before the Oozaru whirled around. The monster looked directly at Krillin, and coldly raised its arm. Its aura spiked, and an energy blast streaked across the sky.

Krillin's eyes widened in surprise. "_Look out_!" Barrel rolling to the side, Krillin barely avoided being hit. Eighteen crested the mesa just as the blast hit, and was thrown upwards by the explosion. Seventeen spun to the side, caught by the explosion's backlash.

"Where'd _that_ come from?!" Seventeen demanded as he stabilized himself. "I _thought _you said they were distracted!" Cupping his hands, he opened fire on the Oozaru.

The Oozaru took a step back and sidestepped the attack. Behind it, the wolf barked and leapt forward. Disappearing before it struck, it reappeared just in front of Seventeen. Snarling, the wolf threw itself at the Android.

Caught off guard, Seventeen raised his right arm to block the bow. The wolf's paw came down, and Seventeen was bashed to the ground. The wolf dove down to follow him, impacting in a cloud of dust. Seventeen rolled out of the dust ball, and crouched in the shelter of a nearby rock outcropping. He desperately clutched his newly damaged arm and tried to keep it from sparking.

Eighteen gaped as she swept past the scene. "Seventeen!"

Before her brother could respond, another snarl came from the wolf. A ki blast shot throw the air, taking the dust with it. Eighteen dove to avoid the blast, and scooped up her brother in the process.

"The hell just happened?!" Seventeen spat out.

"I don't know," responded Eighteen as she veered to the side. "But this wasn't--_nyaahh_!" As explosions went off all around her, Eighteen was knocked to the ground.

"That's_ it_!" Screamed Krillin as he blew past the Oozaru. "**Destructo Disk**!" A shining spiral of energy appeared at the tip of Krillin's arm, and he heaved it at the Oozaru's unprotected backside.

Roaring, the Oozaru reared around and grabbed the disk. Krillin's mouth fell open as the Oozaru stood there, with energy arcing around its fist. After a moment, the Oozaru snarled and flung his open fist towards Krillin. The Human yelped, and dove to avoid the burst of energy shards.

"That... How'd he... _Gaaahh_!" Krillin screamed as the Oozaru opened its mouth and expelled a giant fireball.

Coughing out dust, Eighteen pushed herself off the ground. "Seventeen"? She called out weakly. "Seventeen, where are you?"

A menacing snarl brought Eighteen's attention upward. Rolling over, she saw the wolf towering over her, glowering. Eighteen gulped, and tried to back away. Sensing her movement, the wolf bared its teeth and threw down a ki spike. The ensuing explosion ripped across the valley floor, sending Eighteen tumbling backwards.

Eighteen managed to steady herself against a surviving rock outcropping. Panting, she looked up at the wolf. It was still staring back at her, with a look of disgust etched across its muzzle. The wolf reared back, and the cackle of energy filled the air.

Taking a half step back, Eighteen weakly raised her arms into a defensive position. "Not again," she muttered, as unwanted memories began filtering through her mind. "Not this fast! It can't end like this again..." 

Abruptly, Eighteen felt a change in the air. A split second later, the wolf was engulfed in a blaze of energy.

"What..." Eighteen lowered her arms in shock.

"Grab--your brother--and _move_!"

Eighteen whirled at the sound of the voice. Standing on the rim of a crater, she saw Tenshinhan. His face was lined in concentration, and his hands were arrayed in a triangle emblem in front of his chest. Eighteen blinked, trying to sort out what her senses were telling her. "...Again?"

Tien caught Eighteen's gaze. "What are you doing?! I told you to grab your brother and--" Eighteen flinched away as Tien reset himself and fired another blast at the wolf. As he did, his voice dropped an octave. "_Leeeeeaaaave_!"

"Don't have to tell me twice..." Eighteen's gaze jerked to the side, where she saw Seventeen pull himself out of a pile of rubble. He was still clutching his arm, and looked very much worse for wear. "You two meet like this before?"

Eighteen shook her head violently, drawing herself out of her stupor. "Not now, Seventeen. Just c'mon!" Breaking into a run, Eighteen scooped up her brother and took to the air.

"--Ey!" The raven haired Android exclaimed. "It's just my arm. I can still--"

"Quiet," Eighteen commanded. Twirling midair, Eighteen released her brother, and continued gliding backwards. "Where's Krillin?!"

"Hyuuah. **Guyah**!"

Keeping pace despite his injury, Seventeen glanced across the valley. The Oozaru was skidding across the ground, leaving a trail of upturned rocks. Not far from where the trail started, Piccolo was frantically digging through some rubble. "Probably down there," Seventeen sarcastically supplied.

Eighteen followed her brother's gaze, and here eye's involuntarily widened in concern. "Krillin..."

Piccolo pulled a limp figure from the rubble, and immediately took to the air. As he did, the Oozaru regained it's bearings, and roared in anger. Piccolo put on a burst of speed, and flung Krillin towards the two airborne Androids.

"_Tien_!" Piccolo called out, quickly turning around. "We're clear!"

"Give me a set-up then," called back the Human. "Just keep the Oozaru where she is!"

Supporting her still dazed husband, Eighteen looked at Piccolo. "Where did you--"

Upon hearing her, Piccolo angrily whirled around. "You three," he ordered, pointing away from the Oozaru, "get behind that ridge. And stay out of sight!"

Eighteen blinked, still trying to figure out what had happened in the last three minutes.

"You heard him," commented Seventeen, all to eager for a respite. Turning away from the fight, he sped towards the ridge Piccolo had indicated. "Lets get out of here."

Eighteen put on a burst of speed to follow him, but still kept her eyes fixed on the fight behind her.

Seeing its prey escape, the Oozaru roared and crouched down, preparing to spring forward.

"**Masenko**!" Hurriedly, Piccolo threw down the blast, drawing the Oozaru's attention back to him.

Across the field, the wolf once again leapt at Tien. Bringing down his hands, Tien darted forward, sliding under the wolf. The wolf reared around, and slashed at Tien with its claws. Keeping airborne, Tien dodged the blows, carefully positioning himself in relation to his attacker. Abruptly, Tien dove forward, striking, and then bouncing off the wolf's head.

Letting his momentum carry him backwards, Tien thrust out his arms. "**Tri--Beam Cannon--HAAAAHH**!!" Still off balance, the wolf was staggered by the massive attack. "**Hyyaaaah**!" A second wave took the wolf off its feet and sent him flying across the field.

The wolf hit the ground, bounced, and rebounded right into the Oozaru's back. Piccolo took advantage of the distraction to hit the Oozaru again, sending it and the wolf tumbling across the rubble. Still hovering in the air, Piccolo watched as the two titans regained their bearings, and immediately attacked each other.

Smirking, Piccolo turned back to Tien, who was also flying towards him and panting hard. "Nice work. They're on the ridge." Tien wordlessly nodded in acknowledgment, and followed Piccolo to the ground.

On the ridge, Seventeen was crouched on a rock, angrily picking debris out of his ruptured arm. Eighteen was standing on a ledge below the ridge, looking over her husband. Still slightly dazed, Krillin rose to meet the descending fighters. "Tien! Piccolo! Boy, did you two show up at a good time. Do either of you--"

"The _hell_ did you think you were doing back there?!" Piccolo angrily cut in.

Eyes wide, Krillin took a step backwards. "Huh?"

"We had things perfectly under control before you three--"

"'_Under control_?!'" Seventeen blurted out as he spun around. "Are you two blind? You've got two giants beating the hell out of each other just three mesas away!'"

"But before you showed up," growled Piccolo, "they were distracted. Too focused on each _other _to bother anyone _else_."

"And... That's under control?" Visibly shaken, Eighteen brushed some stray strands of hair from her face.

Piccolo scowled. "It's as under control as it can be at the moment."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Krillin rubbed his forehead, trying to make sense of the situation. "Everyone, just hold on for a second. Piccolo, you've obviously been here for a while. So what's going on?! Why couldn't we sense you two when we got here? And why weren't you--"

"You didn't sense us," began Piccolo, grimly, "because we were laying low. So that _they_ wouldn't sense us, either."

Krillin stared at the Namek, somewhat exasperated. "Look, what... What's going on here?"

Piccolo grunted. "Hn. Tien..."

"For the last bloody time..." Tien grumbled, as he slouched against a boulder. "Early yesterday, another Saiyan crash landed on Earth. The girl had a virus called Auto Mutation Syndrome, which has basically mutated her into... Well, that." Tien limply gestured towards the battle. "The _only _way we can stop her is if we freeze her. Because if she dies, she releases a virus that will kill everyone on the planet."

"Oh," quietly responded Krillin. "That's... Not good." Krillin paused, looking at the battle. "Uh, and the giant wolf thing?"

"That would be Yamcha," informed Piccolo.

Krillin choked. "You're--You can't be serious!"

Piccolo and Tien glared at Krillin. 

"Okay, you are," Krillin finished meekly. "Bwa... So how'd--"

"The sickness is spreading?" Questioned Eighteen, with a hollow ring to her voice.

Piccolo glared at the Android. "Yes."

Krillin swallowed. "Do... Do we know how to cure him?"

"We have an idea," replied Piccolo, stepping up to the top of the ridge. "But we're not sure if it will work. We're also not sure if we'll have time to even try it."

"How long _do_ we need to try it?" Asked Seventeen, suspiciously. "And what is 'it?'"

"Bulma's father is working on a drug that he thinks will keep the virus inactive."

"The virus that kills people?" Cut in Krillin. "So we can kill _them_?! We can't do that to Yamch--"

"The virus that turned them into _that_!" Snarled Piccolo as he looked back at the others. "If we can keep that virus inactive, we can freeze them until we can kill the virus."

Seventeen glared suspiciously at Piccolo. "And how long until we can try that?"

Piccolo turned his gaze back to the fight. "Two weeks. Maybe less."

"_What_?!"

Having recovered from the worst of her shock, Eighteen raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you plan on doing in the meantime? Stand around and let those two fight it out?"

"That's the plan so far," muttered Tien.

"Not a very good one," retorted Seventeen.

"Killer _viruses_ aren't our specialty," Tien drolly replied. "We're just making this up as we go along..."

"Okay, just hold on a second," began Krillin. "We have a cure, but we need some time to get it ready. Until then, we're just supposed to let Yamcha and that Saiyan beat the snot out of each other? For two weeks?!" Krillin looked around. "Couldn't we try to knock them out and then restrain them or something."

"We _had_ the Saiyan restrained," Tien bitterly replied. "Somehow, she got out. And we lost Yamcha in the process. No telling what we did to Capsule Corps..."

"We lost Capsule Corps?" Krillin exhaled dejectedly. "Well, still, it's gotta be worth trying again..."

"Because the five of us did so well against them just now," sarcastically remarked Piccolo. "No. Our best bet is to lay low. Once they've worn each other down, and once we've actually got some way to restrain them, then we'll attack."

"Five of us?" Questioned Eighteen after a pause. "What about Gohan and Vegeta? Where are _they_?"

"In orbit," Piccolo gruffly replied.

Eighteen balked. "Because..."

"Because there's too much risk of _them_ catching the virus and turning into _another_ Oozaru."

"Oh, of course," continued Seventeen, with his own sarcastic drawl. "Because it's not like you Humans aren't catching the virus either..."

"We still have no idea why Yamcha caught the virus," Tien wearily interjected. "But in the two days the Saiyan has been here, he's been the only other to catch it."

"That you know of," cut in Eighteen.

Tien remained silent for a moment. "...That we've noticed. But when Vegeta left, he said that Saiyans were 'especially susceptible' to the virus. Which, for all we know, means they might get sick after just an hour's exposure. And those two are already more powerful than any of us... If they go down, we've got _no_ way to stop them."

"So that's really our best option," muttered Krillin. "Just sit here and let Yamcha fight that Saiyan... Does... Does he even know what he's doing?"

Piccolo was silent for a moment. "He did at one point. But he's long past that stage. There isn't much in there that's still Yamcha."

Krillin shook his head. "And this has been going on for two days? Why didn't you call us?"

Piccolo grunted. "Do any of you know anything about viruses, Saiyan diseases, or 'nanites?'"

Krillin paused. "Uh, no."

"Gero distributed nano-tech on need-to-know basis," added Seventeen. "He never felt we needed to know..."

"Are any of you stronger than Tien or I?" The Namek continued.

Krillin looked at Eighteen, who glanced nervously at Tien. "Not anymore..."

"Then you really weren't needed," concluded Piccolo.

"Where _have_ you been, anyway?" Asked Tien, still slouched over. "This thing's been going on for two days now. How could you _not_ have noticed this?"

Krillin smiled weakly. "Well, the truth is, Eighteen and I were, well, a little distracted--"

"Forget I asked," Tien quickly muttered.

Eighteen balked. "No, not like--"

"With the pervert they live with? Not likely." Seventeen snorted. "No, those two were too busy doting over that little _pink_ thing that's supposed to be my niece... Speaking of whom," Seventeen's tone abruptly changed, "do all you Humans start off that small?"

"Seventeen, we already discussed this," Eighteen snapped. "Yes, she _is_ normal."

"Seriously," Seventeen continued, ignoring his sister. "It's a phase you _all_ go through, right? One that _most_ people grow out of. My niece won't live her entire life as short as Krillin..."

Tien stifled a chuckle.

"I never should have invited him over," muttered Krillin.

"More than likely," supplied Piccolo, who never bothered to look back at the conversation. "Gohan has changed drastically since he was a child. Krillin's daughter will probably go through several phases during the course her childhood."

"Well that's comforting," commented Seventeen. "Except now I've got a mental picture of one of those phases being as a big giant wolf." With that, the Android hopped up a few rocks and crouched at the peak of the ridge.

"Very funny," deadpanned Eighteen.

"Speaking of funny..." Krillin began after a slight pause. "Tien, you start your own line of shirts, or something? Or have you just been hitting the 'Badman' shop?"

Tien raised his head and glared at Krillin. After a moment, he dropped his gaze and began chuckling. Krillin joined in almost instantly.

"Uh, Krillin," began Eighteen, eyeing the two suspiciously, "you want to explain that?"

"Ask Bulma," supplied Piccolo, with a smirk of his own tugging at his mouth. "And do it when Vegeta is around."

Eighteen shook her head dismissively. "I suddenly stopped caring."

"Seriously, though. What's with the shirt, Tien?" Still stifling a laugh, Krillin gestured to Tien's needlessly elaborate shirt. "I know it's been a while, but embroidery just doesn't seem your style."

"It's not," Tien dryly responded. "But, well... Lunch needed a hobby, and it was either this or cooking. This just seemed safer."

"That it is," cheerfully conceded Krillin.

Eighteen looked at the Humans blankly. "Okay, _that_ I want explained."

Krillin gave his wife a questioning glance. "Gero didn't give you files on Lunch?"

"Not beyond the meal."

Krillin blinked. "Oh. Well, lets just say that our little Marron may soon get a blue-haired playmate to hang out with..."

Eighteen raised an eyebrow. "Girlfriend?" Krillin responded with a curt nod.

"Blue haired?" Krillin glanced at Piccolo, who was looking questioningly back at Tien. "I had pegged the blond one as your mate."

Krillin chuckled. "No, no Piccolo... Lunch changes hair color whenever she sneezes. The blond girl, the blue haired girl, they're really the same person."

Piccolo stared at Krillin for a long moment. "Krillin, what are you talking about? They were standing right next to each other."

Krillin remained silent for a moment. "_What_?!" Whirling to the side, Krillin gaped at Tien. "Tien! What happened?!"

"Nothing important," replied the Human, determinedly staring at the ground in front of him.

"No," continued Krillin, loudly. "How'd those two separate?!"

"Just drop it, Krillin," Tien muttered.

"Tien," Krillin persisted, "I've known her a lot longer than you have. I think I _deserve_ to know just _how _she separated, and _how in the world_ you ended up with the _blond psycho_?!"

"I don't know!" Spat out Tien. "Probably the same way you did."

Krillin choked. 

"I," began Eighteen, "am not a 'psycho.' Three eyes."

Tien replied in dry tone. "Oh, so you've forgotten about that whole trying to kill us all episode, I see..."

"Listen, you has-been..."

Piccolo watched the bickering unfold with a smirk on his face.

"Would you tell those people quiet down over there?"

Piccolo glanced sharply at Seventeen, who was staring intently at the clashing titans. "I wouldn't worry about them. After what Tien's gone through, he needs _some_ kind of release. And Yamcha and the Saiyan won't notice them..."

"Don't be too sure," muttered Seventeen. "Those two have been moving steadily closer to us. I don't like it."

"Hn. I don't think_ any_ of us do, really." Piccolo stepped beside the Android and gazed out over the field. "But trust me, they won't notice us. They're both too busy with each other. Back to feeling each other out and trying to force a mistake."

Seventeen grunted. "'Feeling each other out.' That's an interesting way to put it."

"Hn?"

Seventeen cast Piccolo a sideways glance. "What, you can't see it? Those two are firing off low level electrics all over the place..."

A hint of concern came crept into Piccolo's voice. "'Low level electrics?' What's that supposed to be?"

"Electricity," supplied Seventeen, somewhat exasperated. "I'm sure you've heard of that _sometime_ in your life. Those two have got paths running all around both of them. Arcs are two thin to produce anything in _you're_ visual range, but they're spewing UV all over the place..."

Piccolo remained silent for a moment. Despite not understanding half the jargon Seventeen had used, a haunted look was slowly forming on his face. "Seventeen, are what are neural-chemical impulses?"

"They're what you organics use to think. They shoot down your spinal cord and all through your central nervous system. Eighteen and I work on a modified system..." Seventeen turned to Piccolo with a curious expression on his face. "Why are you asking that?"

Piccolo continued staring forward. "Are they electric?"

"Yeah," Seventeen drolly replied. "It's a chemically induced electronic charge. Ions moving from cell to cell through an electrolyte solution."

"...Shit."

Seventeen's expression dropped. "Huh?"

"_Everyone_," Piccolo yelled. "_Scatter_!" Without further explanation, Piccolo violently powered up and fired a blast at the pair of dueling titans.

Confirming his suspicions, both wolf and Oozaru leapt backwards, avoiding the blast. They both recovered quickly, and glared menacingly at Piccolo and his companions.

"Piccolo!" Called out Krillin, angrily. "What was that for?!"

As they all took to the air, Eighteen looked at Tien. "I thought he said you _wanted _them fighting each other..."

"He did!" Cried out Tien. "We do!"

"I get the distinct feeling we don't," muttered Seventeen as he held is good arm out defensively.

"We've been played," Piccolo grimly muttered. "The virus _wanted _them together. So it could link up with _itself_. This whole time, it's evolving them into_ one mind_!"

Tien's eyes widened in horror.

"Wait!" Cut in Krillin. "What do you mean the 'virus wanted?' How can a virus--"

"How could you possibly know what those two are doing?" Interrupted Eighteen. "They could be doing--"

Eighteen's voice was suddenly inaudible under the combined roar of the Oozaru and the howl of the wolf.

"For what it's worth, Sis," muttered Seventeen as he flinched away. "_I_ believe him."

"_Scatter_!" Piccolo again commanded.

With a snarl, the wolf threw himself at the fighters. For its part, the Oozaru held its ground and thrust out its arms. It growled, and began firing a succession of ki bolts around the wolf.

"They're not acting as ooo-one!" Called out Krillin as he darted backwards.

Tien grunted as he evaded a ki bolt threw a blast of his own at the wolf. "She's giving covering fire. Linked or not--" Tien cut off as another blast came at him. "They're allies!"

Screaming, Piccolo cupped his hands and opened fire on the Oozaru.

"Dyaah--" After receiving a backhand slap from the wolf, Seventeen found himself skidding across the landscape. Stopping himself, he bushed the larger debris off his injured arm. "Damn it, that's the second time today! Die, dog-breath!" Narrowing his eyes, Seventeen fired a pair of optic lasers back at the wolf.

Focused on chopping at Eighteen, the wolf took the shots in the shoulder blade. Snarling in pain, it spun to the side, throwing a handful of ki balls at it went.

"Don't kill him, Seventeen!" Called out Krillin, as he threw a light blast at the wolf's side. "That's still Yamcha under there--"

"Then what are we supposed to do, Krillin?" Responded Eighteen, while dodging the Oozaru's blasts. "Talk to--_gyaaah_!"

"Eighteen!" Krillin dove after his wife.

Tien skimmed forward, delivering a missile kick to the wolf. "Just beat 'em down, Krillin! Hurting them is the best we can hope for at this point." Darting forward, Tien landed a back elbow on the wolf's shoulder. A quick roundhouse sent the wolf tumbling away.

Rolling over a crest, the wolf righted itself, and jumped backwards. Firing off blasts as it went, it kept Tien back and managed to knock Piccolo out of the sky. Landing lightly on the slope of a mesa, it spiked its aura and leapt forward. A flat hand strike drove Tien into the ground, and the wolf's follow through immediately brought it onto Krillin and the still recovering Eighteen. Krillin was quickly grounded by a massive headbutt.

"Not again!" Eighteen yelled in defiance. Throwing herself to the side, she fired an energy wave, catching the wolf in the gut. As the wolf doubled over, Eighteen clasped her hands together and clubbed the wolf's jaw.

The impact jarred the wolf to the side, where it was struck by a ki blast from Piccolo. Grinding her teeth, Eighteen threw out her arms and joined in the attack. For a moment, their combined firepower drove the wolf steadily backwards.

Over the explosions, neither heard the pounding footsteps of the running Oozaru.

Before she knew what hit her, Eighteen was engulfed in a ki laced fireball. Jumping backwards, Piccolo readjusted his fire, and threw a pair of blasts at the new attacker. The Oozaru shrugged off the blasts, and promptly fired back with a blast of its own. Piccolo threw up a ki shield, but was thrown backwards nonetheless.

Quickly returning to its rampage, the Oozaru stepped forward and backhanded the now singed Eighteen across the sky. It fired a ki blast after her, then spat another fireball towards the just recovering Krillin. As the Oozaru took another step forward, two lasers strafed across its chest. Snarling, the Oozaru turned its head.

"I guess there's a reason you Saiyans wear armor," Seventeen grimly muttered. 

Narrowing its eyes, the Oozaru began walking forward. 

Scowling, Seventeen cocked his good arm and pointed it skyward. With a mechanical whirl, a two inch wide barrel extended out of his palm, and several intake vents opened up along his forearm. The whine steadily built up, and a glow appeared in the depths of the barrel. Resetting his feet, Seventeen took aim at the Oozaru. "But lets see if it deflects _plasma_ as well!"

The air around Seventeen sizzled, and the Android let loose the blast. Seventeen was torn off his feet by the recoil, and rolled back across the dusty landscape. After coming to a stop, he pushed himself up and glanced across the field.

Roaring in pain, the Oozaru was staggering backwards. Its armor vest was part melted, and wisps of flame and superheated gasses still swirled around it.

Seventeen grinned wickedly as Piccolo threw himself at the wounded Oozaru. But his grin only lasted a second as he immediately noticed the wolf charging him. Leaping to the air, Seventeen flew backwards, quickly taking aim and trying to recharge. But the wolf had already gained too much ground, and one last leap brought it to within striking distance.

"_Gyahh_!" A hard downward swipe knocked Seventeen to the ground. He landed on his good arm, whose whine increased in pitch dramatically. Swearing, Seventeen threw out his arm and opened every vent he had. Blue-hot nitrogen spewed forth, inundating the area. In a desperate attempt to avoid any further injury, the Android leapt backwards, keeping his arm as far behind his main body as he could. "Damn it!" He muttered, leading a wake of superheated gas. "That's number three. I am _really_ getting pissed off, here!"

Finally coming to a stop, Seventeen shook his arm and closed the now half-melted vents. The main barrel failed to fully retract, and Seventeen was swearing again when a snarl caught his attention. As his head snapped to the side, Seventeen saw the wolf tear through the dissipating plasma, aiming straight towards him. The Android was hit with a backhand chop, and was sent sprawling into a nearby hill.

The wolf moved to press its attack, but stopped short as an energy disk swept just in front of its nose. Before it could face the new threat, the wolf was struck from behind, and fell to the ground. Bouncing off the wolf's back, Eighteen leapt across the landscape to her brother's side. Krillin hovered a short distance behind her, firing as he went.

"Are you okay?" Asked Eighteen as she pulled Seventeen out of the rubble.

"What do _you_ think?" Snarled the Android. With a grunt, he slammed his palm against his shoulder, forcibly retracting the plasma barrel.

Krillin landed next to the couple, and fired off a succession of more powerful blasts. "When this is over," he began between recoils, "you're gunna have to tell me what that was."

"Overkill," Seventeen replied, still leaning on his sister. "A really, really big gun."

"It was in case Goku had grown his tail back," added Eighteen. "How are the others, Krillin?"

"_Firing at us_!" Cut in Seventeen. Throwing his sister into the air, Seventeen jumped backwards. A fraction of a second later, the Oozaru's fireball covered the area.

"Krillin!" Yelled Eighteen as she flew backwards. "Why didn't--"

Caught in the backlash of the blast, Krillin took a moment to recover himself. "They switched on us! Piccolo was right. They're thinking together!" Krillin touched down, sidearmed an energy disk at the Oozaru, and then leapt backwards.

Roaring, the Oozaru pressed forward, throwing energy blasts everywhere. Before him, Krillin and the Androids continued to fall back.

Abruptly, a second wave energy blasts streaked across the sky, with a spray of debris accompanying them.

"Tien," Muttered Seventeen, as his optic lasers laced across the Oozaru's armor. "Fancy meeting you here. How's every little thing?"

Tien pulled himself out of a debris covered hillside with a guttural grunt. "_Shut up!_" Any further retort was cut off as the Human leapt away from the Oozaru's assault.

Avoiding the slash of the Oozaru's arms, Eighteen glanced over her shoulder. "Piccolo, are you holding your own over there?"

Backpedaling across the sky, Piccolo didn't even look at her while responding. "_No_!"

"Understood." Whirling around, Eighteen threw one last blast at the Oozaru then darted toward the wolf. Before she had even started closing in, the wolf threw a passing ki ball at her. Eighteen avoided the blast with ease, but was caught completely unawares by the blast the Oozaru had thrown after her.

"Eighteen!" Krillin yelled as he dove forward. The Oozaru quickly stepped forward and backhanded the distracted Human to the ground. Following up, it threw its arms out and opened fire on Piccolo. Simultaneously, the wolf started flinging ki bolts at Tien and Seventeen. In short order, both Piccolo and Tien were both knocked out of the sky.

Picking herself off the ground, Eighteen jumped to the air and blasted the Oozaru, hoping to break its concentration. In response, both titans turned their attacks towards her. Before the first volley had finished, Eighteen had been blasted across the horizon.

"_Fall back_!" Heaving in exhaustion, Tien picked himself up off the ground. "We can't win like this. We won't even survive like this!" Tien's voice dropped an octave. "_Fall back_ and _regroup_!"

Leaping backwards, Seventeen glanced over his shoulder. "Uh, what say we go to Plan B?"

Tien snarled as he fired a Dodonpa ray at the Oozaru. "We don't _have_ a Plan B, you idiot!"

Seventeen grunted. "Huh. Sucks for West City, then...."

"West City?" Rubbing his arm and flying backwards, Krillin glanced to the north, and did a double take. "_West City_?! Tien! They've been driving us towards the West City!"

"They planned it this way. " Growled Piccolo, catching up with the retreating fighters. "One way or another, it's thinking again..."

"And its got a sadistic side," added Seventeen. "It wants to play in the city. Bet it knows just how much you guys are looking forward to that."

Taking another leap backwards, Tien's face contorted. "They take out West City, they take out whatever's left of Capsule Corps. If we let them pass, it's _over_!"

"But we can't _stop_ them!" Krillin frantically cut in. "Not like we are now! We need the Dragonballs. Once we find them we can--"

"Two months," snarled Piccolo. "They won't be active for another two months. Don't you think we'd thought of that alr--"

"Was Eighteen knocked this way?!" Demanded Tien, interrupting the pair.

A somewhat distant voice answered him. "Thanks for the concern, Three Eyes."

A combined roar from the wolf and Oozaru forced a break in the comments. Emboldened by the ease of their advance, the titans let loose of a barrage of ki blasts.

Still falling back, Tien called out again. "We make our stand with Eighteen. Spread out, and hit 'em with everything you've got!"

"Use concussive blasts," hoarsely added Piccolo. "If we can knock them back, we'll get some breathing room. _And_ breathing _time_!"

"We're close to..." Commented Krillin as he avoided a string of blasts. Gaining altitude, the Human glanced over his shoulder. "I see her!"

"_On three_!" Cupping his hands together, Tien jumped back one last time. "_One_!" Tien let his aura spike, along with Piccolo and Krillin. "_Two_!"

Two streaks of plasma shot past the fighters, engulfing the Oozaru.

"**THREE!!!**"

-----------------------------------------------------------

In orbit...

With the others having long since fallen asleep, Vegeta stood alone at his post, silently watching over his planet. In the distance, West City was barely visible, and was quickly making its way toward the horizon. Though its nighttime lights had yet to come on, Vegeta could still pick out the city that had for years been his home. The geometry of the surrounding fields. The tamed waterways. The muted reflections of glass and concrete...

Below the city, a pinprick of flight flared against landscape. Bright as a sunrise, it expanded southward like a flame blown from a wick.

"...Damn..." Separated from the disturbance my miles of vacuum, Vegeta's whispered curse was the only sound to disturb the silence of the ship... 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Earth...

All screaming in rage, the five fighters poured energy at the titans. Hit the preemptive volley, the Oozaru staggered and was lost from view in a second. For its part, the wolf's aura flared, and it took to the air. Its snarl was lost under the roar of the attacks, and very air around it seemed to boil away. It made one lunge forward before breaking under the onslaught. Convulsed and battered, the wolf gave an unheard cry of despair and disappeared into inferno behind it.

The fighters' attacks peaked, reaching a point where energy simply blanketed the wasteland in front of them. 

And then they stopped. 

Vented and newly created plasma still swarmed around the impact zone, but the Earth stopped trembling, and the deafening roar of the inferno began to fade.

"If at least _one_ of those two isn't dead," heaved Seventeen, still holding out his smoldering arm, "I'm going to be really annoyed..."

"We're still alive," grunted Piccolo, "so so are they."

Krillin slowly began descending to the other fighters. "Well, at least West City is being evacuated. At least it's starting to..."

"So what do we do next?" With the air around her still sizzling, Eighteen moved forward cautiously.

Still breathing heavily, Piccolo growled. "We move in. And we hit them again..."

A low rumble came from the inferno.

Tien brought his hands back up into a fighting stance. "...Or we wait for them to come out. Either way..."

Wisps of plasma began to swirl violently, and a power level grew within them. Stepping back from the flames, each fighter fell into a defensive stance.

"_Hold the line_!" Commanded Tien, in a voice that cracked under the strain. "_No one gets through_!"

A moment later, a shockwave shook the fighters, upturning the landscape for miles around. A ki sphere supplanted the plasma inferno, and a column of energy shot up into the sky...

-----------------------------------------------------------


	14. What You Got

-----------------------------------------------------------

Catarax

What You Got

-----------------------------------------------------------

West City...

"Yes! Yes, I'm still here..." Covering his ear with his free hand, Doctor Briefs yelled into his cell phone. "Just some commotion from the street... Yes, I've just wired the money to your account. Well, the down payment you required..." Doctor Briefs went silent for a moment. "...Good, good. Send the shipment immediately. We'll be expecting you. Thank you for your time..."

Pocketing the cell phone, Doctor Briefs looked around the Capsule Corps front yard. The street beyond seemed suddenly more active, but everything seemed as it should be. Save for the debris from the rogue Kamehameha Wave, but the Doctor had already accepted that. Spotting Bulma and Dende, he began walking towards them.

"Well, I've just ordered the shipment of nerve gas," he announced as he reached them. "About twice as much as we should need for Yamcha, but it's best to be on the safe side. And Bulma, your mother has already left to get more of that sulfur compound we'll need to liquefy it. So far, we appear to be on schedule."

"That is indeed good to hear," weakly replied Dende, as he lay against a tree.

Back in her normal cat form, Puar hovered above Dende apprehensively. "Please, Dende, you're still--"

"Physician, heal thyself..." Wryly commented Dende. "It's harder than it sounds, but I shall be fine in a few minutes, Puar."

"Ah, good. Bulma, how's--" Noticing his daughter's pallor, the Doctor stopped short. "Bulma, are you all right?"

"They're... They're coming..." Twitching sporadically, and staring intently at the southern horizon, Bulma spoke as if nobody else was around. "...Here. They're not supposed to come here. They're not supposed to fight where I am..."

The Doctor glanced at Dende. "Does this have something to do with that tremor a moment ago?"

Puar nodded with a whimper.

"And the sound wave," supplied Dende. "Both ki induced, I fear. Five miles off, at best..."

"...I'm a genius..." Continued Bulma, oblivious. "Geniuses aren't supposed to be involved in the fighting... They know that..."

Doctor Briefs glanced at his daughter. "Bulma, honey, that's not helping. I'm sure if they could, Piccolo and Tien wouldn't try to fight in the city..."

"...Damnit they _know_ I'm a genius..."

"Bulma, really, that's uncalled-for."

Dende sighed. "I fear she may not be listening, Doctor. She was like this for a while on Namek. Hopefully, she shall snap out of it soon..."

Abruptly, Puar gasped. Doctor Briefs and Dende glanced at the cat, and followed her gaze south. In the distance, a pillar of light was shooting into the sky. It had an immense beam-spread, and was causing quite a stir among the upper atmosphere clouds.

Doctor Briefs had already opened his mouth to comment when the shockwave hit. Small shrubs and loosely attacked street fixtures were thrown up, and Bulma was knocked off her feet. The impact jarred her out of her stupor, and she stared at the column in abject horror. "What the--"

"Time delay," replied her father. "Five miles could be about right..." Blinking, the Doctor looked back at Bulma. "Ah, good, you're back. We've ordered the nerve gas and your mother is getting the dilutants, so we're about ready to begin. Well, assuming everything gets here okay."

Still in shock, Bulma brushed some stray stands of hair from her face. "Daddy, I think that might be a pretty big assumption right now."

The Doctor stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Good point. I guess we should start securing the sub-basement then." Pulling a data-pad out of his coat pocket, Doctor Briefs began walking toward the Capsule Corpse entrance. "Come along, Bulma. You too, Dende. It's probably safer inside, anyway."

Taking deep breaths, Bulma pushed herself to her feet. Gripping his staff, Dende did likewise.

"Ah," the young Guardian sighed. "Back to work, I suppose..."

-----------------------------------------------------------

South of West City...

Squinting, Seventeen took a step away from the energy sphere. "Uh, Tien," he asked uncertainly, "the virus is supposed to be released when one of those two dies. Do we know exactly _how_ it's supposed to be released? …'Cause, ah, this light show--"

"Isn't a death throw," finished Eighteen in a voice that shook.

Piccolo growled. "They're merging. Get ready…"

"If this isn't a death throw," demanded Seventeen, "I would really like to know what it actually is…"

"Tran--" Krillin's voice cracked. "Transformation sequence…"

"…You're sure about that?"

"We are," Growled Piccolo. "We've seen too many of them not to be…" 

Tien grunted as he braced himself against the ki-induced winds.

"Krillin…" Muttered Seventeen after a long pause, "Just for the record… I blame you for this."

Electric arcs raced across the surface of the ki sphere, sending out blinding flashes of light. Overwhelmed, the ki sphere exploded outward, knocking the fighters backward. The arc-induced flashes continued, and the accompanying thunder shook the ground.

"Hold your ground!" Yelled Tien and he reset himself in the sky.

Landing hard on the ground, Krillin scrambled back to his feet. "I can barely see!" He yelled over the din. "Too many flashes! Can anyone make out anything?!"

Piccolo responded with a pained grunt as he clawed at his ears.

"UV is more screwed up than ever!" Yelled Seventeen as he shot skywards. "Same with sonics and viz. Infra Red is--"

"It's charging!" Yelled Eighteen. "Fast! Right through those arcs!"

"Which arcs?!" Demanded Krillin as electric bursts discharged all along the landscape.

"Tien!" Frantically yelled Eighteen. "Back off! He's right--"

With one last spark of lightning, the sky in front of Tien cleared. A horned, bestial creature flew at Tien. The beast was now humanoid, roughly fifteen feet tall, with gray fur, horns on its head, and a whip-like twenty foot long tail behind it. Tien gasped in astonishment as the beast closed the distance between them. Before Tien could react, the beast caught him by the jaw and drove him backwards.

Krillin stood where he was, dumbstruck.

"Get him off Tien!" Ordered Piccolo. Jumping towards the beast, Piccolo powered up. "_Nail it_!"

"Will do!" Called out Seventeen as he dove down at the beast.

Despite Tien still struggling in its grip, the beast instantly noticed the two attackers. With a grunt, it checked its momentum. Then a bat-like wing whipped from its back and batted Seventeen back to the ground. The beast's second wing unfolded as the beast twisted itself in the sky and launched a ki blast at Piccolo from its tail.

Eighteen flinched as Piccolo was knocked past her. "How the hell did they turn into that?!"

Meanwhile, Tien let out a strangled grunt and began chopping at the beast's wrist. In response, the beast hissed, and readjusted itself to face Tien again. Holding its captive at arm's length, the beast spread its wings, and brought them forward in a vicious down-stroke. Ki exploded as the wings struck together, knocking Tien away. Snarling, the beast darted forward and slapped Tien to the ground.

"**Ka**--**Me**--**Ha**--**Me**--**Ha**!" With his hands cupped in front of him, Krillin fired a ki blast at the airborne assailant.

The beast whirled in surprise, and jerked away from the blast. In the process, it threw out its arm and cupped the ki wave between its wrist and its arm. The beast rolled with the blast's momentum, and quickly brought its other arm forward. After one full spin, it checked itself and pointed its cupped hands back towards Krillin. The Kamehameha wave flared, and shot back at the human.

Darting upward, Tien managed to catch the beast unawares and drove his knee into its chin. With a snarl, the beast drew back slightly and began taking chops at Tien. Fueled by a momentary rush of adrenaline, Tien responded in kind.

"Eighteen," yelled Piccolo as he pulled himself off the ground. "As soon as Tien breaks away, hit that thing with one of your plasma shots!"

Eighteen looked back from helping Krillin to his feet. "No way. That thing is too small. It'll move. It'll be a waste of power."

While rotating his good arm, Seventeen shot a harsh glare at his sister. "Then get _close_ to it, Eighteen. If that thing is Yamcha _and_ the Saiyan, we'll need a _big_ blast to knock it down!"

"Or a barrage…" Growled Piccolo. "Tien will move. _Hit it_!" Emphasizing his point, threw out both arms and let loose a volley of attacks.

Seventeen joined in with his optic laser, while Krillin sidearmed a Destructo Disk into the fray. Eighteen stood to the side, crouched over, and powering up her plasma cannons.

Several of the initial blasts connected with the beast. Tien took advantage of the diversion to get in a few extra blows, then to kick off the beast's head. Sailing backwards, the Human screamed and added his own blasts to the fray.

Letting something akin to a howl, the beast angrily raised its aura. Whipping its tail around, it fired a string of stinger-like blasts at Tien. As blasts continued to pelt it, the beast flew upwards and flung another ki ball at the Human. Tien was struck by the last blast and knocked out of the sky.

"_Scatter_!" Yelled Piccolo as the beast turned its attention downwards.

Brining its wings together in another down-stroke, the beast dropped a blanket attack on the fighters. Eighteen was staggered, while the others were knocked to the ground.

"Any more bright ideas?" Mocked Seventeen as he pushed himself up.

The beast dove, forcing the fighters to scatter. The beast left a crater in the ground and immediately dove after Piccolo. The Namek was knocked away after the first exchange.

"Eighteen!" Krillin muttered as the beast turned his way. "…I'm going to blind this thing." As the beast lunged, Krillin broke off and jumped away. "Get close to it. I'm going to try to keep it on me…" Krillin threw another energy disk, and darted away again. Glancing past the winged beast, Krillin saw his wife take to the air. In a more determined voice he continued. "In a moment… Hit with everything you've got!"

Gritting her teeth, Eighteen nodded in understanding.

"Everyone," called out Seventeen, who was also in a position to overhear the order, "keep your heads down…"

The beast lunged forward again, swiping its claws at the Human. Krillin kicked off a rock and putt both hands to his face. "**Solar**--"

Light filled the sky, and an explosion of energy sent all the combatants sprawling.

"What on Earth?" Muttered Eighteen as she pushed herself up to her knees. As she looked up, she saw the beast crouched down at the base of a hill. To her surprise, the beast was brushing dirt off itself, and almost seemed to be sneering.

"…Piccolo…" Came Krillin's haunted voice. "They didn't merge…"

Instantly taking to the sky, Piccolo focused his gaze at the origin of the explosion. In the center of a crater was a giant ki sphere, with a black figure silhouetted in the center of it. "It's the _Oozaru_!" The Namek yelled out.

The beast took its time standing up, and snorted indignantly at the ki sphere.

"Then…" Eighteen slowly backed away the figure in front of her. "Then that's just Yamcha…"

Crouched near Tien in the shadow of an up heaved boulder, Seventeen glanced nervously between the two threats. "Pic--_colo_…"

Tien broke into a run towards the Oozaru. "Piccolo and I will take the Saiyan! Krillin, Seventeen, Eighteen, take down Yamcha!" Tien leapt to the air, shot off a multitude of Dodonpa rays. The attacks strafed the Oozaru, stripping away the ki sphere.

Unharmed, the Oozaru defiantly waked towards the rest of the fighters. The Oozaru had shrunk dramatically in size, now standing no more than fifty feet tall. However, it was now armored like one of the low-slung dinosaurs, with enormous bone plates covering almost its entire body. Black fur was barely visible in the joints between plates, and a line of bone studs ran where the black brand had once been. A stout armored tail dragged behind the creature, bearing a spiked club at the tip.

"Seventeen!" Countermanded Piccolo as his eyes widened. "You're with us!"

The beast shook its wings, and began crouching down.

"Break away!" Yelled Krillin as he jumped to the sky. The beast instantly lashed out with its tail, forcing Krillin to dart back again. Eighteen rushed forward to flank the creature, while Seventeen and Piccolo sprinted towards the Oozaru.

Tien snarled and powered up as far as he could. Screaming, he dove headlong at his opponent. The Oozaru sneered in contempt but continued to march forward. Tien spun an the last moment, solidly impacting the Oozaru's collarbone with the back of his arm. The blow echoed across the landscape, and drove the giant back a step. Pushing off, Tien whirled in the air and missile kicked the Oozaru's jaw. As the giant recoiled, Tien fired several blasts at the Oozaru's lightly armored neck, then dove forward to hammer the top of its snout.

Roaring in anger, the Oozaru violently raised its aura. The energy in the air momentarily drove Tien away, but the human immediately retaliated with a massive energy blast to the same shoulder he had struck earlier. The attack completely unbalanced the Oozaru, causing it to stagger to the side.

As Tien heaved in exhaustion, Piccolo took point. The Namek put on a burst of speed and charged the Oozaru. Piccolo leapt, and rammed his knee against the base of the monster's tail. The bone armor held, but Piccolo's leg crumpled. Piccolo let out a scream, and his momentum carried him around and over the tail.

Running a pace behind, Seventeen slid under the tail, and strafed it with his lasers. The blasts left burn marks, but could not penetrate the armor. Angered nonetheless, the Oozaru roared out and thumped its tail against the ground.

Seventeen skidded to a stop below Piccolo. "That went well," he muttered as he turned to the Oozaru. "I can't plasma him, but I've got a few other tricks. You?"

Piccolo hovered defensively, keeping his damaged leg away from the fighting. "A few."

The Oozaru whirled around, bringing its full attention to the two fighters. It opened its mouth and spat out its signature fireball. Seventeen and Piccolo dodged accordingly.

Seventeen landed on the gourd in a three point fighting stance. Looking up, he noticed the Oozaru had turned its full attention to him and was lunging forward. "Wonderful," the Android quipped. Seventeen fired his optic lasers, and back-flipped away. The Oozaru plowed through the soft earth, and instantly lunged again. Firing a blast from his good arm, Seventeen checked his momentum, leapt forward, and hand-sprung over the Oozaru's head. Landing in the small of the Oozaru's back, Seventeen fired a concussion blast at a seam the tail's armor plating.

"**Masenko**!" As the Oozaru was starting roll over, Piccolo's blast struck it in the back of the head, knocking it forward.

Seventeen regained his balance on the Oozaru's back. Glancing at the tail, his eyes narrowed. "Keep this thing down!" He yelled out. "I've got a shot!" Taking a second to program a firing plan, Seventeen squinted and let loose with his optic lasers. The two beams struck on either side of the seam he had struck earlier, and began strafing parallel to the seam, slowly cutting into the armor.

Tien dropped like a rock onto the top of the Oozaru's spine. The recoil shook the Oozaru, momentarily unbalancing the two fighters. "What's the idea?" Tien quickly demanded.

"Find a weak point," responded Seventeen as the two laser continued tracing, "and make it bi--_gyaaaah_!"

The Oozaru's tail whipped down, nearly striking Seventeen. The Android took to the air, and the Oozaru threw to itself to its side before anything else could hit it. From its position on the ground, the Oozaru fired a barrage of blasts at Seventeen and the airborne Piccolo.

Having been thrown off when the Oozaru rolled, Tien stood up and found himself behind the monster. The Oozaru shifted, stepping up its skyward barrage. Tien instantly cupped his hands and fired at the base of the Oozaru's back.

The Oozaru responded viciously, whirling and backhanding Tien into the ground. The monster rolled into a crouch and pounded Tien with the club of its tail.

"Crap!" Growled Seventeen as he steadied himself in the sky. "Piccolo, we've got to--Piccolo?"

As he stood in the air, Piccolo's aura was flaring and both his hands were pressed to his forehead. Piccolo convulsed, and abruptly dropped. Half way to the ground, the Namek roared and pulled both arms away. Piccolo angled for the Oozaru and took aim with both hands. Energy exploded away from Piccolo, and two corkscrew blasts streaked down from the sky.

The Oozaru had just begun to turn its attention away from Tien when Piccolo attacked. As it turned around, it took the first blast in the chest. The Oozaru staggered back, and the other blast shifted course and connected with the Oozaru's shoulder. The beams drove the Oozaru back another step.

Roaring defiantly, the Oozaru set its feet and let its aura surge. The two blasts continued to push against the armor plates, but Piccolo was beginning to flag. The Oozaru roared again and let out a shower of unfocused ki. The disruption was too much for Piccolo, who was forced to cut off the draining attacks. Emboldened, the Oozaru stepped forward and spat a fireball at the exhausted Namek.

Piccolo dodged the fireball, and soared skyward. The Oozaru gathered ki balls around its fists, and began hurling them after the Namek. As it did, it lost track of Seventeen, who landed softly in front of it. Seventeen leveled his gaze at the Oozaru's face, and narrowed his eyes. A moment later, two lasers flashed across the sky, striking the Oozaru on the underside of its brow.

Screaming in pain, the Oozaru immediately broke off. It stumbled backwards and began clawing at its damaged eye. Seventeen let loose another set of lasers, which traced the Oozaru's jaw line.

As the Oozaru fell back, Piccolo veered around, and zeroed in on the monster. Piccolo made his run unmolested, and landed several ki blasts on the Oozaru's back. As the new pain pushed out the old, the Oozaru brought one paw away from its eye, and focused its gaze on the departing Piccolo. Weaving back and forth, Piccolo made a wide turn and prepared for another run.

"--**lar Flare**!"

Light burst from across the field, momentarily washing out the sky. Caught off guard, Piccolo broke off his run and landed hard. Seventeen groaned and tried to re polarize his lenses. The Oozaru was the worst off of the three, catching the flash in its one good eye. The beast roared in pain, and began lashing out blindly.

Before fully recovering, Piccolo took off again and rushed the still flailing Oozaru. Lashing out on instinct, the Oozaru bashed Piccolo into the ground with a lucky strike.

"**Hyaaaaaaaaaah**!!" Having picked himself out of the rubble, Tien fired a blanket attack at the Oozaru. Unbalanced an unprepared, the Oozaru stumbled forward before regaining its balance. Once it did, it turned its head and blindly strafed the landscape with a series of fireballs. Tien quickly leapt up and flew over the attacks.

Seventeen reconfigured his sight about the time Tien attacked, and was airborne by the time the Oozaru fired back. After waiting until the Oozaru leaned into one of its fireballs, Seventeen dropped out of the sky. The android landed on the beast's tail with both feet, springing away immediately after impact. The beast recoiled, and Seventeen threw down a parting ki blast as he shot skyward.

"Thanks Krillin," Seventeen muttered under his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced over at Tien. "Can you see?"

Hovering near the Android, Tien nodded. "Yeah. Hit it on two."

"Works for me." Seventeen reset himself and powered up a blast.

Before either of the two could fire, the Oozaru disappeared. 

"Wha--"

And armored fist slugged Tien to the ground. Spinning away, Seventeen gaped as the airborne Oozaru took a swing at him. "It can _fly_?!" Seventeen avoided a second swipe, but was caught off guard by the following head-butt. The Oozaru finished the sequence by belching a fireball straight down.

Screaming in rage, Piccolo flew toward the beast. The Oozaru easily swatted him with its tail, and threw a succession of ki blasts after the battered Namek.

"This is _ridiculous_!" Heaved Seventeen as he pulled himself out of the rubble. "You people beat Cell, for crying out loud! How can we be having this much trouble with Yamcha and a _transformed girl with a virus_?!"

"We didn't beat--" In the process of standing up, Tien fell back to his knees. "Transformations mean power. We only beat Cell because Gohan found a power-up of his own…"

Seventeen angrily ripped a broken plate of techno-organic skin off his neck. "So why don't _we_ have any power-ups?" He grimly demanded.

On his hands and knees, Tien took a moment to steady his breathing. In the distance, the Oozaru again leapt at Piccolo. Tien braced himself against the splintered remains of a tree truck, and swallowed. "We've got _one_…"

Seventeen glanced sharply at the hunched over Human. "Then why haven't--"

Taking a step back, Tien threw his head back and screamed. "**Kaio--KEN!!!**" The power-up triggered a massive shockwave, and Tien's aura flared with a red glow.

Thrown off his feet, Seventeen sat up and wiped the debris from his face. "_Tien_! What the--" Stopping himself, Seventeen noticed that droplets of a dusty red liquid were splattered all over his body and the surrounding landscape. "…The devil?"

In the center of a newly created crater, Tien fell to his knees. His neck convulsed for a moment, and then Tien screamed again. This time, a red spray shot up into the sky. The battered Human forced his way back to his feet, and leapt to the sky.

Seventeen scrambled up a dirt mound to get a better vantage point. "_Piccolo_!" He called out as a red streak blazed across the sky. "Break off! Tien is coming and he's _lost it_!"

Standing at the rim of another crater, the Oozaru turned at Seventeen's call. It noticed Tien's approach, and sneered disdainfully. The beast stepped forward and fired a ki blast at the Human. Tien didn't break course, and simply blew through the ki ball. The Oozaru took a step back in surprise and was bowled over as Tien rammed it.

The Oozaru roared in anger and scrambled to its feet. Still encased in red, Tien quickly banked and charged again. A blow to the top of its head knocked the Oozaru back a step. Snarling furiously, the Oozaru leapt forward. It took several swipes at Tien and quickly knocked him to the ground.

Finally hauling himself out of the dirt, Piccolo gaped at the scene in front of him. "What the--"

Tien picked himself up painfully, and glared up at the Oozaru. Yelling something incomprehensible, Tien threw out his arms, and fired off two lances of ki. The beams hit the Oozaru in the kneecaps, cutting through the armor and blasting out the other side.

The Oozaru fell to its knees, unable to support itself. Its eyes seemed to glaze over from the shock, and its arms flailed wildly. Tien jumped past the beast and roundhoused the back of its shoulder. With another grunt the Oozaru fell flat on its face.

Before the Oozaru had even hit the ground, Tien was flying into position. Setting himself in the sky, he arrayed his hands in a rough triangle emblem and took aim. Tien screamed, and became lost in a pillar of red.

Piccolo flinched away from the momentary maelstrom induced by Tien's blast. "Tien," the Namek muttered, "you'd _better_ know what you're doing…"

As the tremors quickly died away, Seventeen sprung up onto a hillcrest. His optics scanned the area, and found the infra-red pattern of a Saiyan sized creature lying on the ground. "Wah--_hoo_!" He shouted out. "We got 'er! We finally got--"

Ki arcs laced out from the prone form, and an inhuman scream pierced through the rumbling.

Seventeen took a hasty step back. "--_No_!"

Tien abruptly dropped out of the sky, landing hard beside the Saiyan. The Human immediately lunged forward and turned the Saiyan over. Her mouth was screaming of its own accord, and her eyes were again glowing red. Upon contact, the ki arcs immediately converged on Tien, nearly driving the human off.

Forcing his way through the arcs, Tien pushed forward and clamped both his hands around the Saiyan's neck. Tien's aura flared red, driving off the other arcs. Energy exploded away from the Saiyan, convulsing her upward. Tien only clamped down harder, and yelled in defiance.

"_Seventeen_!" Called out Piccolo as the energy maelstrom intensified around the duo. "Get down!"

Seventeen flinched as his footing nearly gave way. "What the hell is happening with--"

A red ring of energy shot out from the Saiyan, staggering Piccolo and knocking Seventeen off his feet.

After the energy wave passed over him, Piccolo hesitantly stood up. The maelstrom had dissipated as quickly as it had begun, leaving only a few wisps of smoke floating through the air. The Saiyan was lying limply on the ground, and Tien was still crouched over her clasping her neck. The Namek's eyes widened. "Tien…" The Human's chest heaved once, and then Tien fell limply to the side. Piccolo instantly dashed forward. "_Tien_!"

Picking himself out of the hillcrest, Seventeen glanced down at the fallen fighters. The android wiped a fresh spray of residue off his face and called out. "Piccolo, are they all right?"

Piccolo gently turned Tien over onto his back and felt for a pulse. "He's alive."

A few quick bounds brought Seventeen to Piccolo's side. Seventeen looked at the Human and grimaced. "I repeat, is he _all right_?"

Tien's regular eyes were both closed, and the pupil of his third eye was lost behind a screen of broken blood vessels. Blood was oozing out of his nose and mouth, and bruise was already forming where Piccolo had taken a pulse. As Piccolo watched, blood beaded like sweat from unseen cuts all over the unconscious Human.

"He's alive," continued Piccolo. "And the Saiyan is out cold. Right now, that's all that--" Piccolo broke off with a start. "_Yamcha_!"

Jumping to his feet, Piccolo quickly scanned the surrounding landscape. He immediately came across a smoking hill. Eighteen was at the hill's base, stamping out the last remnants of a fire. Krillin was crouching midway up the hill, in the center of a gray outcropping. Piccolo narrowed his eyes and quickly recognized the outcropping as the winged beast, who seemed to be splayed face-down across the hill. Krillin stood up, glanced around, and triumphantly gave Piccolo the thumb's up sign.

"The hell happened over there?" Questioned Seventeen.

Piccolo shook his head. "I don't know. And right now, I really don't care." Piccolo looked down at Tien and smirked. "We got 'em. That's all that matters…"

-----------------------------------------------------------


	15. Everyday

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Everyday 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

Capsule Corps… 

"Isn't he supposed to be awake, yet?" 

"Any moment now," soothed Bulma, as she pored over some computer readings. Glancing to the side, she saw Tienshinhan still tensely gripping the console in front of him. "Tien, this isn't an exact science. He'll wake up. Just at his own pace." 

"Hmmp." 

Bulma turned around to face her husband, who was leaning against the wall next to her. "Don't you have someplace to be, Vegeta?" 

Vegeta glanced at his wife, snorted, and returned his gaze to the main screen. 

Incensed, Bulma put her hands on her hips. "Listen, mister, if all you're going to do here is--" Bulma's tirade was cut short as Piccolo tapped her shoulder. Bulma angrily glanced back at the Namek, then back to her readings. As she saw the new vital statistics, her brow furrowed. "Hey, according to these, he should be--" 

A slight groan was heard over the control room speakers. 

"About time," Tien cheerfully muttered. 

Bulma smiled, and opened the two-way com-link. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Yamcha!" 

The main screen showed a picture of Yamcha, clad in a loose shirt and slacks, lying on a surgical bed. The room around him was mostly bare, and had a very utilitarian feel to it. As the quartet watched, Yamcha stirred a bit more, and slowly sat up. 

"...My head," he quietly muttered. Letting out a moan, Yamcha quickly slouched forward and put his hand to his forehead. "What did I _do_ last night. Feels like…" Yamcha trailed off as he regained his bearings. Slowly drawing his hand away from his head, he saw a small, yet all too familiar device attached to the underside of his wrist. "I caught the virus," moaned Yamcha as his shoulders drooped. With a long sigh, Yamcha buried his face in his hands. "I got mind controlled again…" Yamcha started banging his head against his palms in disgust. "Damnit… That's the second time... The _second_! _Damn_! _Time_!" Yamcha punctuated each word with another blow to his head. 

In the control room, Piccolo looked on with a hint of concern. "Yamcha, _relax_." 

"_Second_ time?" Quietly asked Tien. 

"Yamcha," soothed Bulma, ignoring the other two. "Don't do that! You'll damage the equipment. Besides, you're scaring your roommate…" 

Yamcha ceased pounding his head, and slowly raised his eyes. His gaze immediately went to the near wall, which had a large screen displaying the control room. Yamcha took a moment to stare at the monitor and the surrounding setup. "Roommate?" He asked numbly. At Bulma's prompting he turned to the side. 

Grinning weakly, an apprehensive Saiyan girl nervously stepped forward. She looked down at Yamcha, though he would be about a head taller than her had he been standing up. "Er, hi," she started. The girl bit her lip for a moment, then uneasily thrust out her hand. "Pelegrino. Saiyan warrior, second class." 

Still somewhat dazed, Yamcha eyed the girl for a moment. "Right…" Yamcha shook the girl's hand. "Yamcha. Titan. Short stop and clean-up batter. Nice to meet ya…" 

Pelegrino nodded and backed off, while Yamcha dragged his gaze back to the screen. "Bulma, about the new girl… Did you just throw clothes at her, or did you try to explain things first?" 

"What's to explain?" Blurted out Pelegrino as she self-consciously looked herself over. "Low cut boots, two-piece bodysuit, two piece flak armor," Pelegrino gestured to her tennis shoes, work-out shorts, bra, and jacket in turn. "What am I missing?" 

Yamcha stared at the girl. "Typically, there's a shirt somewhere in there…" 

Pelegrino blinked and fingered the collar of her jacket. "Isn't that was this is?" 

Yamcha lowered his head and groaned. 

"I tried, Yamcha," commented Bulma. "I tried." 

"Not very hard," Yamcha muttered to himself. 

Pelegrino took a few more steps back and did her best to fade into the background. 

"Okay," Yamcha continued after a moment. "What happened?" 

"You got sick, you mutated, you generally caused a ruckus." Bulma shrugged casually. "That was about two weeks ago. Since then, Daddy, Dende and I were able to--" 

"_Dende_!" Exclaimed Yamcha, looking frantically around the screen. "Aw, man, I forgot about him. Where is he? He isn't still mad about that whole kicking him when he was down incident, is he?" 

Piccolo shook his head dismissively. "No, not really. He's too busy kicking himself to remember that." Piccolo paused at Yamcha's blank stare. "Dende is blaming himself for letting you get sick in the first place. Practically right under his nose. Right now, he's out sweeping the planet for spore pods, just to make sure there's no risk of anyone else catching the virus." 

Yamcha exhaled in relief. "Okay. Good, I guess. Damn… Uh, look, most of this is still kind of fuzzy for me. I didn't do anything _else_ while I was sick, did I?" 

Piccolo and Tien glanced at each other. 

"You mean aside from giving my lab a skylight?" Asked a bemused Bulma. "Nothing really serious. There were a few scrapes all around… Specifically, Seventeen needed his arm rebuilt, and Tien was an interesting shade of purple when he was brought in…" Bulma's expression became more serious. "Well, then there's Eighteen. She's denying it, but I think you bit her." 

Yamcha's expression fell. "I'm gunna die…" 

"Look she's saying they were claw marks," clarified Bulma, "so she probably won't bring it up. Besides, she set you on fire, so I'd call you both even." 

With a groan, Yamcha closed his eyes and began rubbing his temples. "Bulma, you haven't mentioned Puar yet, and she's not with you. Is there something I should know?" 

"Yeah, you're down one game against the Pirates." 

Yamcha opened one eye. 

Smirking, Bulma continued. "According to the press release, Yamcha was with a friend in West City when the firestorm broke out. During one of the firestorm quakes, he twisted his ankle. It's pretty bad, but the he should be back in the line-up in about two months time." 

Yamcha smirked. "Pirates. So she's in Port Shaolin. Filling in for me in all the team PR stuff?" 

"Yup," Bulma confirmed. "And in the dugout keeping the bench warm. She's pretty busy, but she'll be back to visit once the series is over." 

"What a gall," chuckled Yamcha. "So who else has been busy while I was out?" 

"Mostly Daddy, Dende, and me," continued Bulma. "After the guys had, eh, secured you and Pelegrino, we've been pretty much locked in the labs. We found a chemical that would block nervous impulses, which was how the viruses communicated with each other. With the chemical in your system, the neural net the virus used to control you was essentially gone. After that, we got you in a type of half-cryo stasis, and went to work on the nanites." 

"So those worked after all?"

"Sort of," conceded Bulma. "Once the viruses lost contact with each other, we found out that they were extremely susceptible to bacteria. I mean really susceptible. Without their energy net protecting them, those viruses got eaten up faster than noodles in front of a Saiyan. So we just built some carrier nanites, and gave them each a load of bacteria. We put the nanites in your system, they hunted down the viruses, and the bacteria did the rest." 

Yamcha's face had turned a little green. Bulma nodded in understanding. 

"The bacteria we used was mostly harmless, and your own immune system should easily be able to take care of them. But, yeah, you might be a little feverish for a few days." 

Yamcha grimaced and put his hand over his stomach, but the feeling quickly passed. "So then, that was it? You guys sit around in front of computers while the big bad villain gets eaten by bacteria?" Yamcha shook his head in half-hearted disbelief. "Kind of anticlimactic, isn't it?" 

Beneath his turban, Piccolo's brow furrowed. "You wouldn't call it that if you had to spend two weeks standing on guard, waiting for another breakout."

"I actually don't _want_ to face anything that would top what happened when you got infected," Tien added.

Yamcha rolled his eyes. "I know, I know... I'm just saying it doesn't sound like you actually did while I was out."

"Hey, a little respect here!" Demanded Bulma. "In those two weeks _I_ beat a virus that's been reeking havoc for _millenniums_! I saved your butt, mister! Sick to your stomach or not, I expect to be thanked for this. _Profusely_." 

"Yeah, sure," Yamcha wryly responded. "Look, did we ever figure out how I even _got_ infected in the first place? And why it was just me that did?" 

Bulma bit her lip. 

"Simple," gruffly stated Vegeta. "You were the only one of us _stupid _enough to get himself infected." 

Yamcha narrowed his eyes and leveled his gaze at Vegeta. "Well, that explains why _you_ were in such a hurry to get off the planet…" 

Vegeta bared his teeth. "As far as _they_ can tell, the virus is spread by means of spore packs. An infected specimen shoots spores into the air, where they are inhaled by everybody else. Since Auto Mutation Syndrome is only effective when it infects people with noticeable power levels, it takes ki to activate the virus. Ki burns away the shell of the spore, and lets loose the virus. Too little ki, and the spore is never opened. A rabid burn, however, will destroy the virus before it gets a chance to start the infection. _You _were the only one exposed to the virus who used enough ki to burn away the shell, but not the virus _itself_." 

"Which would have been when I was in the vat…" Yamcha shifted his gaze back to Bulma. "Oh, yes," he quietly began, "_thank_ you Bulma. Perhaps I shall send you _card_ when I get out of here…" 

Bulma grinned, weakly. 

"Speaking of 'here,'" Yamcha continued, far less accusatory, "where am I? And why are we talking though a computer screen?" 

"You're in quarantine," supplied Bulma, happy to change the subject. "Considering what's gone on, we wanted to keep you two isolated while we worked. Once the Dragonballs get recharged, we'll use the wishes to make sure the virus is gone. But until then…" 

"Yeah, I understand. No taking chances. So where am I?" Yamcha looked around at the high domed ceiling and the incomplete partition walls. "This doesn't look like one of your labs." 

"It's not," Bulma replied. "Those all got pretty trashed. Sides, you wouldn't have fit in most of them. We had to convert the gravity room to--" 

"_What_?!" Blurted out Vegeta. "_My_ gravity room?"

"Vegeta," Bulma pointed out, "we've had this discussion before…" 

"Woman, how could you put those diseased weaklings in _my_ gravity room?! And why," demanded Vegeta, "damnit, _why_ didn't you inform me of that?!" 

Bulma gaped at her husband. "Vegeta, where did you _think_ they were?! Of course we've been keeping them in the gravity room! It's the only room big enough. Honestly, what did you think? That I had capsulized the original gravity room and had built an identical new quarantine room in exactly the same place, all in the twelve days you were in orbit?" 

Vegeta and his mate stared at each other for a moment. 

"It's _conceivable_." 

"_Oooooooh_!" Bulma stomped her foot in frustration. "Okay, mister, discussion time, outside, _now_!" Piccolo and Tien quickly stepped aside as Bulma stormed out of the control room, with Vegeta stalking out after her. 

"Woman, I _demand_ you immediately remove those inferiors from…" Vegeta's rant quickly trailed off as the door shut behind him. 

In the quarantine room, Yamcha was thoughtfully stroking his chin. "So I'm in the gravity room… Say guys, if I put up curtains, do you think he would snap?" 

Tien raised an eyebrow. "If they were pink, yes, he would snap." 

Yamcha chuckled at the prospect. 

"It's your funeral," muttered Piccolo. 

"Yamcha, speaking of snapping," said Tien as he leaned towards the screen. "Go out with a '_bang_?'" 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," muttered Yamcha as his smile faded. "'Gee, Yamcha, you sure do have issues…' Really, I think we all know that by now." 

"Does Vegeta know?" Asked Piccolo. 

"What, that I can pull off a Mid-Sized Bang attack? Only if you've told him." 

Tien snorted. "Going back to having issues, Krillin has offered to pay for any therapy you need. At least until you come to grips with whatever inspired that gargoyle thing…" 

"Oh _that_!" Yamcha's mood instantly lightened. "You mean the wings? That's nothing. That's just a holdover form when I tried shape-shifting." 

"Tried shape-shifting?" Repeated Piccolo. 

"Yeah," explained Yamcha. "Back a year or so ago, during the off season. I was kind of bored, so I started looking through Puar's old textbooks. Studied up for about a week, then just tried it. Got it right the first time!" 

Tien and Piccolo stared blankly at their quarantined comrade. 

"So I wings for about three days," Yamcha continued. "I couldn't fly with them, well I could still fly, but, eh, you know. They were cool. Kinda like a cloak, only you could control it. I even got the claws at the main joint to hook together around my neck... Unfortunately, I couldn't un-grow them. So, eventually Puar saw them and I got chewed out. Had to cut 'em off in the end. But still!" Yamcha finished his explanation with a smile on his face. 

"…So… The tail, horns, and…" 

"I didn't do those the first time. But they were on the picture I used for reference," conceded Yamcha. "So, that's where everything else came from." Tien and Piccolo exchanged nervous glances. "Hey, it was fun. You guys should try it sometime." Yamcha chuckled, but his expression quickly sobered. "So how'd you guys get me back? Y'know, untransformed and all that…" 

Tien sighed. "In the fight, after you had gone gargoyle, you were fighting Krillin and Eighteen. Eighteen hit you with a plasma blast, which set you on fire…" 

"Yeah, I think I remember that now," mused Yamcha. "Man, that hurt." 

"…Yeah. Anyways, you started flailing around, and then you backed into one of Krillin's Destructo Disks. It buried itself in your back, and severed your spinal column." 

Piccolo regarded Yamcha's shocked expression. "Freak chance, really. And if you and Pelegrino had some sort of mind-link, you could have also been distracted by Tien pounding on her. Anyways, the shock knocked you out, and the virus was unable to re-grow or bypass the cut. By the time we got you here, you were in a coma. Tien did a few energy drains just in case. Eventually, Bulma and her father got enough of their sedative into you to knock out the virus. After that, Dende reconnected your spine, and went about transforming you back to normal. Took him three or four days, if I recall." 

Yamcha self-consciously rubbed his back. "Great. But I'm okay now, right?" 

"Good as new," confirmed Tien. 

Yamcha sighed. "So about how long am I going to trapped in here? Well, quarantined…" 

Tien shook his head wearily. "Don't know for sure. Until we get the Dragonballs, I guess. Should be somewhere in the neighborhood of seven weeks." 

Yamcha cast a glance at Pelegrino. "Do we have seven weeks worth of food in here?" 

"No," responded Piccolo, "but we can ship more in. You've got most of the essentials. We can send in anything, we're just wary of brining anything out." 

"Well, that's a bit of a relief," continued Yamcha. "Um, man, that's a lot to take in one sitting… You two all right after all this?" 

"We live," Piccolo simply stated. 

Yamcha smirked. "So you do. And Krillin is..." 

"Back at his home with Eighteen and Marron," finished Tien. "He's been in periodically, but he's spending most of his time with them."

"Family takes priority," Yamcha observed with a chuckle. "Understandable. He's got his own life to live. And I'll bet you two do as well. But thanks for stopping by…" Yamcha waved them off with a loose salute.

"We'll check back later, Yamcha," responded Tien with a smirk. 

Yamcha snapped his fingers several times. "_Ooh_! Tien, before you leave… If you and Lunch ever make it official, call me. If I'm not in locked in here, you know I'll be there." 

Tien glanced at Piccolo, then back at the screen. "Uh, sure thing. I'll let you know. See you later Yamcha." Tien tapped a few buttons on the control panel, and the screen went black. 

"Lunch…" Prompted Piccolo as Tien shut off some other controls. "You're not planning on correcting him?" 

"I'm not planning on discussing that with anyone ever again." 

Piccolo gave a bemused snort. 

"Ah well," continued Tien as he brushed his hand along the control panel. "Yamcha is awake, and he appears to be fully recovered. That's what really matters right now. Still…" Tien and Piccolo began walking towards the door. "…Leaving Yamcha locked in the gravity room with a Saiyan girl for seven weeks… That's just cruel." 

"I wouldn't be too concerned," replied Piccolo. "Despite what he was like while mutated, Yamcha is a forgiving person. He won't hold anything against her." Piccolo ducked through the doorframe and mumbled under his breath. "And hopefully, after this I can die in peace…" 

Tien stopped in his tracks. "I meant cruel to _Yamcha_. And why are you worried about dying?" 

----------------------------------------------------------- 

The gravity room… 

Yamcha chuckled as the screen turned off. He hopped off the bed, and glanced at Pelegrino, who was looking at him curiously. 

"So if this isn't a shirt," the girl immediately questioned, "what is it?" 

Yamcha sighed. "That's a jacket. This," Yamcha tugged at his own shirt, "is a shirt." 

Pelegrino blinked. "What's the difference?" 

Yamcha did his best to look Pelegrino in the eyes. "One covers your, uh, bodysuit, and the other doesn't." 

Pelegrino looked down at herself. "It's supposed to be covered?" 

"In public, yes." 

"Huh, then why have it separate?" the Saiyan mumbled. "Well, a quarantine room certainly isn't public…" 

Yamcha sighed, and forced his gaze away from Pelegrino's neckline. "Look, Pelagrenno--" 

"Pelegrino," the Saiyan quickly interjected. "Peh--leh--_green_--no." 

"Right, sorry." Yamcha blinked, loosing his train of thought. Almost instantly, his attention was caught by Pelegrino's tail, which was twitching behind her. "Wait," he stuttered. "Didn't that tail get cut off? About four or five times?" 

"No_, oh no_, no, no!" Startled, Pelegrino hastily scooped up her tail and held it defensively by her side. "I already talked to them about this! They said I could keep it as long as I promised never to go Oozaru again!" 

"Uh, look I'm just cur--" 

"You've got to believe me," Pelegrino persisted. "I never want to go Oozaru again in my _life_! I've had enough--" 

"_Whoa_!" Yamcha's yell and rough gesture immediately silenced the panicking Saiyan. "Look, if you've promised them, I'll trust you on that. I'm not going to cut it off." Yamcha paused and held his hands to his side. "I just want to know how you still have it?" 

Pelegrino relaxed slightly. "Uh, I had it when I woke up…" 

"But didn't it get cut off when Tien, well, knocked you out? Saiyans don't usually just grow new tails without reason." 

"Well," Pelegrino stuttered, "I had Auto Mutation Syndrome." 

"Yeah, but we cured--" Yamcha cut himself off mid sentence. "You were cured after he cut off the tail… The virus probably made it grow back immediately. That makes sense." 

Pelegrino stepped cautiously forward. "It does?" 

"As much as anything else has this past two days. Er…" Yamcha trailed off and shook his head. Turning to Pelegrino, he continued. "So you've been talking to the others? How long have been up?" 

"Only a day," replied Pelegrino, finally releasing her tail. As her roommate was beginning to sound less threatening, she happily took a seat on a nearby countertop. 

"So, what have they been telling you?" Yamcha inquired as his eyes followed Pelegrino's still twitching tail. 

Pelegrino slouched her shoulders a bit and began ticking off items on her fingers. "If I try to leave here, they'll kill me. If I'm found with a Dragonball, they'll kill me. If I'm found even _looking_ for a Dragonball, they'll kill me. If I kill anyone, they'll kill me slowly, wish me back, and kill me again. If I cause property damage, they will consider--" 

Yamcha snorted. "By 'they,' would you happen to mean Tien and Piccolo?" 

"The aliens with antennas and extra eye?" Pelegrino nodded and continued in a quiet tone. "Yeah. I don't think they like me very much…." 

"Eh, it's not you," Yamcha reassured. "They just haven't had pleasant experiences with Saiyans in general." Yamcha broke off as he realized what he had just brought up. Hesitantly, he continued. "Uh, speaking of Saiyans, did they tell you about Vegeta-sei?" 

Pelegrino nodded. "About how it blew up? Yeah." 

Yamcha regarded the girl. "You're taking that rather well." 

Pelegrino leaned forward and smiled. "Yamcha, I caught Auto Mutation Syndrome. I've had a virus take control of my mind. I was supposed to be _dead_ from that moment on." Pelegrino almost laughed. "But I'm not. I'm still trying to get over _that_." 

Yamcha shrugged, conceding her point. 

"Besides," Pelegrino continued, "everyone I knew would have died a long time before that anyway…" 

Yamcha frowned. "Before your planet blew up? How long have you been sick anyway?" 

"Vegeta figures I caught the Syndrome about seven hundred years ago." 

"Uh, Earth years or Saiyan years?" 

"It matters?" Pelegrino smirked. "Whichever way, Vegeta, Captain Tanaka, my parents, and everyone else I knew were _long_ gone by the time the planet blew…" 

Yamcha scratched his head in confusion. "Vegeta? The guy I was just insulting?" 

Pelegrino shook her head. "No, no, _King_ Vegeta, the one I served under." Pelegrino paused. "Uh, the royal family is always named Vegeta…" 

"Ah, yeah, I'd forgotten about that." Yamcha shrugged. "Well, they aren't anymore... So was your Vegeta like the one we have now?" 

"Not a bit," responded Pelegrino. "My Vegeta was taller." 

A wide grin broke out on Yamcha's face. "Next time you see him, tell that to Piccolo. He'll warm up to you in no time…" 

Pelegrino shrugged and grinned weakly, but didn't say anything in response. 

Yamcha took the blood sampler off of his wrist as the silence hung in the air. "So…" He began at length. "Uh, wanna spar?" 

Pelegrino sat up and balked. "You've got to be kidding…" 

"Uh, no," Yamcha eyed Pelegrino warily. "Didn't Saiyans spar back in your time?" 

Pelegrino stared back. "Yeah, of course we did. …But with _you_?" 

"Why not?!" 

"Look, Yamcha… No Black Brand has _ever_ been recorded with a power level under ten thousand. And that was a kid who had just gotten it. Considering how long the Syndrome had been working on me, I wouldn't be surprised if I hit ten _million_." 

"Yeah," Yamcha half heartedly responded. "But Tien still beat you. I may not be quite as good as him, but I'm still in his league. Besides, you're cured now! Shouldn't that mean that your power level is back to normal?" 

Pelegrino stared at Yamcha with a look of disbelief on her face. "Yes, Yamcha. Right now I'm at the same power level I had back on Vegeta-sei." 

"So why don't you--" 

"_Yamcha_!" Pelegrino blurted out. "I'm a second class warrior! Before I got sick, I was pushing to reach four_ thousand_." 

Yamcha's expression went blank. "Oh…" 

"I've been beaten up since the moment I landed here," Pelegrino continued. "Now that I'm actually myself again, I'd rather not set myself up for _another_ pounding." 

"Okay, I guess I can understand that," Yamcha rubbed the back of neck uneasily. "So, uh, something to eat, then?" 

Pelegrino's eyes immediately widened. "_Ooooh_, yeah! This way!" With a quick push of her hands, The Saiyan girl thrust herself upwards and back-flipped onto the top of the partition wall. She did a quick one-eighty and leapt out of sight. 

Left standing in the center of the room, Yamcha gazed at the wall Pelegrino had just hopped over. "Hey," he mumbled to himself. "She's still got her tattoos. Hope I didn't get those…" Shrugging, Yamcha walked through the doorway and followed the sounds of the bouncing Saiyan. 

"Hey, Pelegrino," he called out as he stepped into the makeshift kitchen moments later. "Did the virus leave any marks on my face?" 

"Did you have those scars before?" 

"Uh-huh." 

"Then no. But they did say you're hair used to be plain black?" 

"Yeah..." Yamcha nervously tried to pull a lock of hair into his line of sight. 

"Well, apparently the roots are growing brown, now…" Walking forward, Pelegrino handed Yamcha a shallow dish of rice. "Here. They call this--" 

"I know what it is," Yamcha responded as he took the dish. 

Overexcited at the prospect of eating, Pelegrino grabbed a bowl of her own. "…Right. 'Course. You've lived here. Pretty good stuff, really. A bit dry though." With her hand, Pelegrino began scooping rice out of her bowl and shoveling it into her mouth. 

"Dry?" Yamcha looked down at his bowl and was somewhat surprised to find it filled with dry, uncooked rice. 

"When I first woke up," continued Pelegrino between mouthfuls, "I went through two bags of this in a minute. I was _sooooo_ hungry…" Pelegrino paused as she poured the last bit of rice directly into her mouth. She immediately picked up an open five-kilo bag and refilled her bowl. "Which makes sense. I hadn't eaten for 'bout seven hundred years. I wasn't awake for most of that, but I still went a while without food. Even with the syndrome powering me, I was beginning to eat muscle. Look…" Pelegrino stopped eating long enough to run her finger along the top of her rib cage, "I still don't have any meat on me…" 

Yamcha blinked several times before refocusing his gazed above Pelegrino's chest. "Uh, look, don't you want that cooked?" 

Pelegrino paused. "I tried to once, but the rice turned all black and tasted like ash. It's a lot better this way." With a shrug, the Saiyan resumed eating. 

Yamcha stared at her. "Did you try adding water, first?" 

Pelegrino blinked in surprise. "Water?" 

Yamcha sighed, then dejectedly shook his head. Stepping past Pelegrino he snatched the bag of rice. "Gimme that..." He muttered before searching the cupboards for a pan. 

Having completely stopped eating, Pelegrino stared wide-eyed at the Human. "You can _cook_?" 

"Yes," Yamcha dryly responded as he found a suitable pan. "I have been cooking for myself for over thirty years now, and as you can see, I'm still quite alive." Yamcha shook his head as set up his supplies along the stove burners. "And for the record, I have not once blown up a roast, set fire to soup, or boiled a salad." Yamcha looked back at Pelegrino's reaction. 

"You can cook?" The girl numbly repeated. 

Yamcha shook his head and sighed. "Yes." 

Before Yamcha knew what had happened, Pelegrino had darted forward had positioned herself between his body and the countertop. Yamcha reflexively jerked back, but found the Siayan's arms already latched around her neck. "Do me," she said coyly. 

"Wh--_whaaaat_?!" 

Pelegrino's grip loosened slightly. "Sorry, still working on the language. Uh," Pelegrino flashed a grin. "Be my mate." 

Again, Yamcha balked. "What?" 

Pelegrino's grin quickly faded. "Oh c'mon, I know you understand that one..." 

Closing his eyes, Yamcha took a deep breath and stepped back. He grabbed Pelegrino firmly by the shoulders, and set her down at arm's length. "Okay," he muttered as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "_Why_?" 

Pelegrino hopped backwards and perched herself on the countertop. "Look, back on Vegeta-sei, there were two things I was hoping for in a mate. I either wanted him to be a stag above my rank, or to be some ground-pounder I could push into fixing my meals and doing other grunt work for me." Pelegrino leaned forward happily. "Doing you, I get _both_." 

Yamcha arched an eyebrow. "Uh, look, Pelegrino, it doesn't quite work that way around here." 

"I heard about the Prince's son," Pelegrino immediately countered. "I'm pretty sure it works that way." 

Yamcha opened his mouth to reply, but immediately turned away. Letting out a groan of disgust, he buried his face in his hand. "...I could have lived the rest of my life without thinking about that..." He muttered. With final shake of his head, Yamcha looked back at the bewildered Pelegrino. 

"Doesn't it?" She asked. 

"Physically, yes." Conceded Yamcha. "However, around here we don't just 'pick a mate.'" 

Pelegrino shrugged. "Well, there was more to it back on Vegeta-sei, too. Usually one of the pair got beaten into submission first, but I figure since we've already gone through that..." 

Yamcha stared blankly at Pelegrino. "Okay, you're not on Vegeta-sei, anymore. We don't do things like they did." 

"'Kay," Pelegrino chirped. "So what do we need to do here?" 

"Uh," Yamcha stuttered, not believing what he was being asked to explain. "Well, look, you don't just choose a mate that fast! Choosing a mate--_wife_--is something that takes a lot of time and thought. It's for a lifetime, so you don't just choose them at random!" Yamcha put his hand to his head in exasperation. "You can't just assume that you and I are going to end up together..." 

"Look, Yamcha, I don't have too many options," chimed in Pelegrino. "Until those two aliens say otherwise, I've got to be under someone's supervision. It was a pretty short list of people..." Pelegrino hopped off the counter and laid a hand on Yamcha's shoulder. "You're on the list. You're here. You cook. You'll do!" 

"But--" Yamcha sputtered in frustration. "We don't even _know_ each other! You can't pick a mate after being on the planet for two days!" 

"Closer to three weeks, actually," corrected Pelegrino. 

"During which you've been either possessed, on ice, or drugged. None of that counts." 

Pelegrino sighed. "Okay, you've got a point. So how long until we 'know each other' by human standards?" 

Yamcha pulled away in exasperation. "I don't know, it all depends." 

"On what?" Pelegrino asked as she cocked her head to the side. 

"On a lot of things!" Yamcha walked back to the stove and sifted through the supplies he had brought out. "On what _you're_ like. On what _I'm_ like. On how we're like together. It _varies_!" 

Pelegrino regarded Yamcha as he carried a pan over to a nearby sink. "Still, how long are we talking about? Rough ETA? Well, okay, ETM?" 

Wondering what Pelegrino was talking about, Yamcha stared at the wall in front of him and raised an eyebrow. "A couple months," he muttered after a moment. "At the very least. Probably more like a year or two..." 

"A _year_?!" Pelegrino grabbed Yamcha's shoulder and roughly spun him around. "What could _possibly_ take that long to learn?!" 

Yamcha took a step back. "Look... Stuff. Who we really are." 

Pelegrino pointed a thumb at herself then jabbed her finger into Yamcha's chest. "Pelegrino," she articulated. "Yamcha. Saiyan. Human. _Fe_male. Male. Warrior. Short step." 

Yamcha shrugged as if Pelegrino had proved his point for him. "See?" 

"I got what matters..." Pelegrino crossed her arms and stuck out her chin in a pout. "So what about the rest? We're locked in here for, what, seven weeks? I'll get it." 

"Yeah," Yamcha sarcastically continued. "You do that. Then as soon as we get out, we can have a big ceremony with cake and ice cream and everyone will be invited! That way, when we realize we hate each other five months later, we can have a big break-up and both be publicly humiliated..." Shaking his head in disgust, Yamcha made his way back to the counter. 

Pelegrino perked up. "Really?" 

"No." 

"So then when--" 

"Why are we even talking about this?" Asked Yamcha as he turned back around. "Are you really _that_ desperate?" 

"Oh, I'm not desperate," Pelegrino quickly reassured. "You could probably take out the entire royal guard if you wanted to. I'm not settling here..." 

"So then why so eager to pick a mate?" 

Pelegrino sulked against the back of nearby chair. "Because every time I don't jump at the chance, something goes wrong. They get reassigned, Kates makes her move..." Pelegrino bit her lip uneasily. "...I catch Auto Mutation Syndrome..." The Saiyan's eyes dropped for a moment as memories seemed to catch up to her. But the mood passed after only a second. "_So_! This time its going happen!" 

Crossing his arms, Yamcha leaned against the counter and smirked. "Really?" 

"Yes! And I am not," Pelegrino stepped forward and ran her finger along the top of Yamcha's forearm. "...Waiting seven weeks. 'Kay?" 

"I told you before," Yamcha patiently replied. "You're not waiting seven weeks. You're waiting longer." 

With her tail swaying behind her, Pelegrino put her hands on her hips. "Yamcha," she began defiantly. "I'm not giving you a choice in this. 'Kay? It's _going_ to happen, and there's nothing you can do to avoid it." 

Yamcha chuckled to himself. "Haven't_ you_ been the one saying that I completely outclass you? It's _not_ happening, and there's really nothing you can do to _force_ it happen." 

Winking coyly, Pelegrino smirked. "Yeah. When you're awake." 

"Huh?" Yamcha's confidence quickly evaporated. 

"You've got to sleep sometime, boyo. By the time you wake up," Pelegrino reached up and casually flicked a lock of Yamcha's hair. "It'll all be over but the moaning..." 

Yamcha took an apprehensive step backwards and skeptically tilted his head. "You're a Saiyan. You've got too much dignity to do that..." 

Pelegrino raised an eyebrow in response. "What does dignity have to do with it? 'Sides, that's how my father did it..." 

Yamcha choked. 

"So," Pelegrino persisted, backing Yamcha against the countertop. "Are you still going to be difficult, or can we have some fun with this?"

Yamcha slowly lowered his head as he realized that the only dignity being threatened was his own. "All right. You win..." 

Pelegrino smiled. "Cruste_lor_um..." 

"I don't want to know," Yamcha muttered. 

Smirking, Pelegrino tugged at the collar of her jacket. "'Kay. You said Humans make mating official right? Well around the royal court they did everything official, for bloodlines and all that, so they had this archaic Knotting thing..." Pelegrino ceased babbling as Yamcha turned away. "Well, not _that_ archaic. I thought it looked neat, and, well, it's something, right?" 

"Whatever..." Dazed, Yamcha took a seat at the nearby table. 

Pelegrino hopped onto the table and crouched down beside her newfound mate. "It's not that bad. We just get tangled up in a sheet for a few minutes. I'll find a pink one if you want..." Pelegrino smiled at the slight reaction that brought about. "There are some sheets a few rooms over, so this shouldn't take long. Be back in a jump. And don't worry, boyo. They say it's a _blast_ to ride second class." Pelegrino flashed a sincere grin as Yamcha glanced up at her. 

"Are all Saiyans this easy?" He asked.

"Only for someone who can beat up royalty." After playfully ruffling Yamcha's hair, Pelegrino kicked off, and vaulted over the partition wall.

Yamcha stared blankly for a moment. "I have _never_ been able to take Vegeta!" He yelled after her. "And I'm not going to try now!" 

"Then what was that crack about curtains?" Pelegrino asked. Yamcha scowled. Before he could respond, however, Pelegrino squealed. "Oooh! _This'll_ work..."

Yamcha slowly shook his head. "A blast to ride second class?" He repeated in disbelief. Sighing, he hung his head. "I dated Bulma for ten years, and Pelegrino wants to marry me after ten minutes." He paused for another moment. "In the gravity room..." 

Pelegrino hopped back over the partition wall with a bundle of cloth under her arm. "Ready, Boyo?

Yamcha closed his eyes in resignation. "I'm never going to hear the end of this."

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End.

Now, if you haven't already checked out the illustrations for this story (remember how I mentioned them in the author's notes?) now is as good a time as any. Just head over to side7 and search for an artist by the alias of 'Crash.' Once there, scroll down until you find a picture by the title of 'Poster.' The drawings will go chronologically from there until the illustration from this chapter called 'Domestic Life.' 


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